


Generation One

by EmeraldLight



Series: Generations [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Character Death, Divorce, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Lily Evans Potter Bashing, M/M, Masturbation, Miscarriage, Mpreg, Multi, Mutual Masturbation, Oral Sex, Other, Rimming, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-16 00:23:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 38,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21027203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldLight/pseuds/EmeraldLight
Summary: This is a HEAVY AU fic - Lily Evans believes her twin brother Lane is a much better match for her friend Severus Snape than herself. Everyone is growing up and having babies, including a Hogwarts student, but not all will live to see adulthood. Some that should be dead are alive, some who should be living are dead. Tags will be updated as the story progresses to avoid spoilers.I'm so sorry this is such a terrible write up. I don't know how to summarize everything without giving everything away!Unbeta'd, as always.





	1. Chapter 1

“What am I doing here, Lily? You know that I have zero interest in hanging out with your friends.”

“We’re not hanging out with James and the others,” Lily said with a roll of her eyes, using a finger to mark her place in the book she was reading. She and her twin brother, Lane, were sitting on the bank of the Black Lake. Lily was reading a book while Lane was stretched out on his back, arms behind his head, and eyes closed behind the sunglasses he wore.

“Then I repeat my question: What am I doing here? You and I don’t hang out, we’ve never been those kind of twins, so I’m a bit confused why, after six years in school together, you suddenly wanted me to come out here with you.”

“What, you’re too busy to hang out with your sister?” Lily shot back, placing a bookmark in her book before snapping the book closed with gusto. Lane sighed heavily, removing a hand from behind his head to wave it in the air a little.

“That’s not what I’m saying and you know it, thank you very much,” he told her, though he didn’t turn his head in her direction or even open his eyes, not that she would see them behind the sunglasses.

“You and I have never been close. I love you, you’re my sister, but other than our talents in potions and being part of the Slug Club, we don’t honestly do anything together. We never have.”

Lily opened her mouth to make a rebuttal but was cut off as she spotted Severus Snape approaching from the far side of the lake. She waved at her long time friend, beckoning him to join her.

“I asked you to come out here with me so I could introduce you to someone,” she told him.

“I don’t need your help to make friends,” Lane groaned. “I’m a Hufflepuff, for Merlin’s sake, we’re all about friendship and such.”

“Afternoon, Lily,” Severus greeted his friend as he approached, eyes glancing towards the other red head sprawled on the blanket but saying nothing.

“Severus, thanks so much for coming,” she smiled in return greeting. “I want to introduce you to someone.” Severus frowned a little, his eyes once more falling on the male who had yet to acknowledge his arrival.

“I don’t need your charity, Lily,” he huffed a little. “I know you think I need to make friends, so-called ‘better’ friends than I currently have, but I don’t need you throwing people at me in hopes that I’ll like someone you approve for me. Not to mention I have a severe dislike of the friends you keep and you know that.”

“Oh, dude, you’ve been told,” Lane grinned, forcing himself to sit up and turn towards his sister. “Twice, in fact.”

“I’m sorry?” Severus observed the other male, noting that he and Lily looked quite similar, right down to the long red hair.

“I just finished telling Lily the same thing right before you showed up,” Lane told him, still smiling. “But you made it even better with your dislike of James and his little gang.”

“You don’t like James Potter?” Severus’ eyebrows lifted in surprise, other than his fellow Slytherin’s, he had never found anyone who didn’t like James, Sirius, Remus, or Peter. Even teachers seemed to put up with a lot more from them than he felt they should. Not to mention James being a Prefect seemed absolutely absurd to Severus.

“You might actually remember Severus, Lane,” Lily interrupted. “Severus and I have been friends since before coming to Hogwarts.” Lane lifted his sunglasses and squinted a little in the sunlight, letting his eyes roam over Severus for a few moments before dropping his sunglasses back into place.

“He’s grown,” he commented. “I remember him being a short little thing, always trailing after you like a lost puppy.”

“Gee, thanks,” Severus looked highly unimpressed, his initial liking of Lane quickly vanishing.

“I was thinking that the two of you could bond over your mutual dislike of my friends,” Lily continued, motioning between the two males as though she could draw them together.

“Are you sure you’re not simply trying to substitute your brother for you, considering our conversation this summer?” Severus asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“What? No! Of course not!” Lily moved to her feet, trying to look indignant as she smoothed her hands over her skirt. Lane watched the two friends with an amused smile on his face, leaning back on his arms and shifting to get comfortable. This was going to get good, he just knew it.

“I told you that I accept that you love Potter and that you don’t have feelings for me,” Severus sighed. “It might have taken me way too long to get over it, but I did. I didn’t want my stupid obsession with you to cause any permanent damage. I see how you look at Potter… that’s the way I used to look at you. But I got over it and I’ve moved on.”

“You had a crush on my sister?”

“As I said, it was more like an obsession,” Severus admitted. “Now Lily is trying to make me feel better by substituting you as a new interest.”

“I am not!” Lily tried to protest, but Lane waved a hand at her, silencing her as he moved to his feet.

“It’s a nice thought, Lily,” her brother said as he patted her a few times on the shoulder. “But there’s kind of a huge flaw in your plan… I have a penis.” Both Lily and Severus blushed at that, and Lily quickly bent down to pick up her book, holding it against her chest.

“I have to meet James,” she said quickly, barely bidding the two a proper goodbye before she all but bolted from the scene, hair blowing in the wind.

Severus and Lane glanced at one another and Lane offered a smile, shifting his hips to one side and once more looking Severus over.

“Wanna bitch about James and his friends some more?”

“I’d be delighted,” Severus found himself smiling, motioning for the two of them to sit back down on the grass. For the next hour the two voiced every issue they had with the foursome, including James’ habit of picking on younger students - especially Severus in their younger years - and Sirius sleeping with anything that breathed.

“I’ll admit,” Lane said as he rubbed sore ribs, his stomach aching from laughing so hard. “While Lily’s plan was faulty, in regards to trying to have you obsess over me instead of her, I do appreciate finally having someone who shares my frustration with Potter.”

“Agreed,” Severus grinned, pushing some of his shaggy black hair out of his face, flushed from laughter as well.

“Sorry about the penis,” Lane snickered. “I mean, if I was a proper identical twin, it would have all made sense, but other than the hair… Lily and I are very different. I mean, we don’t even really share the same likes and dislikes, other than potions.”

“I love potions!”

“Me too,” Lane smiled. “It’s so much like baking, and I used to bake all the time with my grandmother. A lot of people thought it should have been Lily, she’s the girl after all, but I’ve always been a bit… different.”

“Like the long hair?” Severus asked, reaching out without even thinking and stroking his fingers through the ends of Lane’s long red hair. Immediately he realized what he was doing and quickly withdrew his hand, though his brain informed him that Lane’s hair was as soft as silk.

“Sorry…”

“Don’t be,” Lane cleared his throat a little. “You were right, the hair has always been a thing of contention in my house. Even Muggles have their hangups about how boys should look like traditional boys, and girls should look like girls. I’ve never been ‘normal’ by those terms.”

“Pureblood families aren’t much better,” Severus nodded. “I’m only a half blood, but my father still pushed all the standard ideals on me.”

“He must have hated that you were smitten with a ‘Mudblood’ then, yeah?” Severus felt his cheeks flush again, though this time it wasn’t due to laughter or enjoyment.

“Yes… You know about term, I see.”

“I may not have the grades that Lily does, her being a crazy overachiever and such, but I know enough,” Lane admitted. “Besides, there are several Purebloods in Hufflepuff and we all tend to talk a lot.”

“It’s a shameful term,” Severus said quickly but Lane cut him off with a shake of his head.

“Muggles have the same type of terms, I’m more than used to it. Not everyone shares those views and everyone has the option to change those views. Muggles are more focussed on gender stereotypes, like boys needing to have short hair, and sexuality.” Lane sighed and leaned back on his hands once again, peering up at the sky. The sun was slowly moving in the direction of setting, making the red head able to remove his sunglasses.

“Wizards are the same,” Severus agreed. “With sexuality, I mean. Forever focused on continuing the magical bloodline, meaning no same sex couples.”

“Guess I won’t be marrying a wizard, then,” Lane shrugged. Severus lifted an eyebrow and viewed the boy sitting beside him, feeling his head tilt to one side. Lane may not have been looking at him, but he knew when eyes were falling on him.

“Yes, Severus, I like boys.”

“Oh. I see.”

“Is that going to be a problem?” Lane turned towards the other male, watching him with careful eyes. “I thought we were becoming fast friends, bonding over mutual likes and dislikes. Is that fact that I like penis going to prevent that from happening?”

When Severus didn’t answer right away, Lane took it as a sign to move on and opted to move to his feet, leaving his sunglasses sitting on the grass.

“It was nice meeting you, Severus Snape,” he spoke quietly and curtly. With a small bow of his head, something he had picked up from one of his dorm mates, Lane turned and headed back towards the castle. It wasn’t until he was out of ear shot that Severus realized what he had done, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled to find the words that should have been spoken minutes earlier.

“Well, I botched that up pretty spectacularly,” he sighed, pushing off from the grass and moving to his feet. When his shoe connected with something in the grass he found his attention directed towards the mirrored sunglasses Lane had left behind. With gentle fingers, Severus picked up the sunglasses and held them in his hands, turning his eyes to where Lane was pretty much out of sight.

*****

Severus knew he was staring again, but he found it near impossible to stop. Across the Great Hall he could see Lane laughing and joking with a few other Hufflepuffs, the red headed male smiling brightly and trading stories back and forth. While his sister left her hair down, Lane changed his hairstyle from day to day - today his silky hair was braided down his back, though a few strands had escaped and framed his face. Severus liked when Lane wore his hair pulled back, something that served only to confuse the dark haired male. Since when was he interested in boys? Perhaps it was only because Lane was so similar to Lily. She had been Severus’ obsession for six years now and only recently had he been able to overcome his near-addiction to her.

But Lane was male, his brain would argue. Just because he somewhat resembled Lily didn’t make him a proper replacement for Lily, not that Severus felt that any woman could ever fill the void Lily had left. At least his coming to terms with reality meant that he and Lily could remain friends, and, to be honest, he had enjoyed his conversation with Lane.

“Before I stuck my foot in my mouth,” he muttered to himself, swirling his spoon in the uneaten porridge sitting in front of him. His housemates glanced at him but said nothing, forever keeping their distance from the strange half blood that resided in their house.

Severus sighed heavily, pushing his food away and standing from the table. It had been nearly a month since he had first met Lane and he didn’t know how to approach the other boy again and express his apologies.

“Lucius would know,” Severus sighed again, shoving his hands into his pockets as he left the Great Hall - might as well head to his first class early. While he had only spent one year in the same house as Lucius, the two had remained friends even as the white blonde older male graduated and moved into the adult world. They owled frequently but Severus couldn’t bring himself to tell his friend that he had suddenly found himself attracted to a male. Possibly. Possibly attracted to a male.

“I think you’re lost, Snape.” Severus jumped, twisting as he turned to face the person who had startled him. Lane chuckled, leaning against one of the suits of armor that lined many halls within the school.

“I believe you have Potions this morning,” the red head continued. “This hallway is far from the dungeon you need to be in.”

“Why haven’t I seen you in the Slug Club?” Severus suddenly blurted out, confusing both of them for a moment.

“You said you and Lily are in the Slug Club,” he continued, a small frown crossing his face as he realized what he was saying. “I’m also in the Club, and I have never seen you there. It isn’t a big club, so I know I would have seen you there.”

“I accepted the title, but I don’t attend Slughorn’s events,” Lane told him with a shrug. “Luckily my skills in class allow the Professor to see me as worthy, even if he still constantly pesters me to attend.”

The two watched each other for several moments before Severus nodded, seeming to accept this information. He dug into his pocket suddenly and Lane responded by pulling his wand with an impressive flourish.

“Whoa, hey, not going for my wand,” Severus assured him, holding up his free hand in a ‘stop’ motion while his other hand withdrew a pair of sunglasses. Lane smiled sheepishly, tucking his wand away.

“Apologies. You moved quickly and I suppose I’m still recovering from my last run in with James Potter.”

“Potter attacked you?” Severus, momentarily forgetting about returning the sunglasses, quickly looked Lane up and down as though searching for injuries. The other boy wiggled a hand.

“Sort of, but it was badly timed. He was bugging me about my hair,” Lane snorted. “Because it’s not like his best friend doesn’t have shaggy ass hair, but I guess mine is too long for his liking. He was using some sort of spell that cuts hair and was kind of threatening me with cutting all my hair off. Then it turned into him trying to taunt me about being a replacement for Lily. With you.” Severus felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up and he wanted to argue the fact, but Lane was continuing.

“Unfortunately he went momentarily homophobic… and Lupin was standing beside him.”

“Holy. Fuck.” Severus’ mood went from angry to shocked in milliseconds and he stared at Lane with wide eyes as the red head told his story.

“I wish I could have captured the moment on film of some sort,” Lane admitted. “Lupin punched him square in the nose. There was a lot of blood. I laughed so hard I nearly wet myself.” Lane couldn’t help the grin that had spread over his face, trying to hold in the laughter brewing inside him.

“I would have paid to see Lupin slug him,” Severus nodded.

“He stuck around afterwards, actually,” Lane continued. “He apologized for Potter’s shitty comments, I complimented his right hook, and we wound up sitting on a bench and chatting about boy stuff for nearly an hour.”

“Boy stuff?”

“We talked about boys, being gay, homophobia, gay wizard struggles, that sort of thing.”

“I see.” Severus felt awkward all over again, his eyes falling on the floor as he found himself unable to meet Lane’s eyes. The sunglasses in his hand reminded him of how they had come to this point in the conversation - he had been reaching into the pocket of his robes.

“Oh!” His head came back up and he thrust his hand towards Lane, offering out the sunglasses on his open palm. “You forgot these, when we were talking out by the lake. You know, when I completely stuffed my foot in my mouth.”

“I was wondering what I did with them, thank you,” Lane smiled, accepting them and tucking them into his own pocket. Once more the two of them lapsed into a somewhat awkward silence, Lane rocking on his toes ever so slightly.

“I suppose…” he started, glancing down the hallway. “Class…”

“Right, class,” Severus agreed, moving to turn and make his way to the dungeons, his original plan before daydreaming had put him off course. Lane reached out and gripped his wrist without warning, stopping him before he got too far away.

“Let’s hang out this weekend,” Lane said quickly. “Out by the lake? Same spot?” Severus peered over his shoulder at the red head, giving a small smile as he nodded his head.

“Saturday morning, after breakfast,” he agreed. He would have lingered but neither of them would want to be late to class. Lane’s fingers brushed over his palm as the red head released him and soon each were hurrying in their respective directions - Severus to Potions and Lane to Herbology.


	2. Chapter 2

Christmas was upon them before they knew it and Lane realized, for the first time in his memory, that Severus was only a house away. After spending time getting to know one another, the red head found himself eager to spend time with the other boy and having the ability to hang out without Professors lingering was exciting.

“It’s not fair,” Lily complained the moment they were off the platform and driving towards home. Their mother glanced in the rear view mirror, observing her children as she drove.

“What’s not fair, dear?”

“Lane gets to hang out with Severus all Christmas and I don’t get to see James until we go back to Hogwarts!”

“Don’t YOU always hang out with Severus, dear?” the older woman asked, frowning in confusion. “Since when does Lane hang out with him?”

“Since Lily tried setting us up as a couple,” Lane smirked, leaning back against the seat and folding his arms behind his head. He knew his mother wasn’t all too fond of hearing about her son being gay, but his family had never done anything to make him feel unwanted in regards to his sexuality.

“I thought you liked Severus?”

“I do,” Lily admitted. “But not like he likes me.”

“Liked,” Lane corrected. “Sev saw how head over heels you are for James and respectfully withdrew his crush on you.”

“I always thought that Severus had a crush on you, dear,” their mother chuckled. “He was always following you around, after all. It only got worse when you got your Hogwarts letter and the two of you realized you were both wizards.”

“Yeah, but then she tried to set him up with me, completely forgetting that Severus is straight and I have a penis,” Lane snickered. “Not your brightest moment, honestly.” Lily glared at her brother and opted to bite her tongue, wishing she hadn’t said anything about being away from James.

“Sev invited me over to his house for Christmas eve dinner, actually,” the boy continued as they parked the car and began heading into the house. “With mom and dad’s permission, of course. It’ll only be for an hour or two.”

“I don’t think it will be an issue, Lane,” their mother smiled. “It’s nice to see you getting out and about. You usually spend all your time at home.”

The three went their separate ways as they entered the house, the twins going upstairs to their bedrooms while their mother went to the kitchen to start dinner. Their father would arrive later in the day when he was finished working.

*****

Lane tried to prevent himself from frowning as he entered the Snape home, but confusion and possibly mild horror were quickly evident. Severus flushed faintly, taking Lane’s coat from him and hanging it on the wall.

“It’s just us tonight,” he told his friend, motioning for Lane to follow him into the small living area the home had. Everything was clean, but clearly old and well used, bits and pieces broken and in desperate need of replacement.

“Your parents aren’t home?”

“They aren’t really home all that often,” Severus sighed softly. “I suppose I should have warned you about this. Please accept my apologies, I know my home is less than adequate.” Lane shook his head, stepping closer to Severus and gently taking his hands, giving them a squeeze.

“We all have our family troubles, Sev,” Lane assured him. “We don’t even have to talk about it. I just feel lucky to have been invited here, it must have taken a lot for you to work up the nerve.” A smile briefly crossed Severus’ face and made Lane smile in return, the two watching one another for a few moments before Lane broke away to look around the room again.

“So… are you the one making dinner for us, then?”

“Uh, yes, but I should also warn you that I’m not all that good at cooking,” Severus admitted, leading Lane into the kitchen where a small turkey was cooking and a few side dishes were simmering on the stove top.

“I always felt like you were a lot less Muggle than I was,” Lane smiled, sitting down at the small table that graced the dining room, if you could call it a dining room.

“As much as I dislike my Muggle side, I know the basics. Being alone a lot meant I had to learn at a young age.”

“Your parents left you alone long enough that you needed to cook for yourself well before the usual age kids start cooking?” Suddenly Lane’s small disagreements with his parents seemed completely overblown and he felt bad for ever arguing with them. Severus looked somewhat ashamed at this knowledge and Lane smiled sympathetically.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m excited to just spend time with you, away from everyone else.”

“Even if my house is a run down piece of shit?”

“I’m not complaining one bit,” Lane held up his hands a little, as though surrendering to the conversation.

Dinner was ready within the half hour and conversation between the two sixteen year olds moved from school talk, which foods were considered holiday classics and were mandatory at Christmas dinner, and plans for the future. Severus was fully intent on becoming a Potions Master, though he wasn’t sure where exactly that would take him - would he be working in a shop? Was there a possibility of him obtaining a teaching position?

Lane was nearly on the same path, wanting to master all that potions had to offer, but he had absolutely no desire to ever teach. Spending more time in school than he needed to was not on his list of things to achieve in his lifetime. Severus suggested that perhaps owning his own potions shop would be the job for him, but owning a shop certainly wasn’t cheap, or easy.

All too soon the time came where Lane needed to return home, it was Christmas Eve after all and he had family celebrations to attend to. Severus accompanied him to the door, the two walking side by side as they passed through the hallway that lead to the front door. Lane let out a surprised squeak when he bounced off something invisible, stumbling against Severus’ side. Almost immediately, the dark haired male groaned and lifted his eyes to the archway above them.

“Bloody hell,” he grumbled, pointing towards the bundle of foliage above them. “Magic mistletoe. I thought the spell on it had worn off years ago… I just wanted something festive when you got here.”

“That’s what trapped us in this archway?”

“Like I said, magic. It won’t let us leave until we kiss.”

“Kiss?” Lane lifted an eyebrow.

“Mistletoe,” Severus repeated, looking ashamed yet again. “I’m really sorry, I wasn’t even thinking. We haven’t decorated for Christmas since I was really young, it was the only thing mom ever insisted we put up, even if she hated my father. I guess we never walked close enough to one another to get caught under it. I’m sure there’s some sort of spell--”

Lane rolled his eyes as his friend rambled, reaching out and curling his fingers in the collar of Severus’ shirt, yanking the dark haired male forward and pressing their lips together. Severus inhaled sharply, his eyes going wide as he tried to focus on the other male who was suddenly pressed so close against him. Lane, on the other hand, allowed his eyes to slip closed for a moment, letting the kiss linger for a solid five (or more) seconds before he slowly pulled back. Sure enough, the magical barrier keeping them together shimmered and faded away and Lane was able to step a few more paces back.

“Dinner was lovely, Sev,” he smiled, reaching for his jacket and leaving a stunned Severus still standing in the archway. He waved and headed off, humming softly to himself as he stepped outside and vanished from sight.

Severus continued to stand in his hallway, his mind trying to process everything for a long time after Lane left.

*****

“You kissed me.”

“Hello, Severus, happy Christmas to you as well,” Lane spoke as he looked up from the book he was reading. The red head was sitting outside on a lounge chair in the middle of his lawn, despite the fact it was the middle of winter and every so often, a few oversized snowflakes would flutter down. It wasn’t overly cold and Lane was bundled in a heavy blanket, but it was still quite the sight to see him outdoors, reading, on Christmas day.

“You. Kissed. Me.”

“Yes, I did,” Lane sighed, closing his book and setting it on his lap. “We were stuck under that silly mistletoe and you said we needed to kiss to get out. So I kissed you. I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable.”

“So it wasn’t anything special?”

“You’re straight, Sev. It was just a kiss so we could get out and I could go home before my parents called me tardy.” Lane moved to his feet, bundling his blanket into his arms and absently wrapping his book up as he did so. When his friend seemed to be struggling to find the words, the red head motioned towards the house.

“Come on, let’s go up to my room. It’s already getting dark out and dinner is in an hour. I’m sure no one will mind if you join us.” He didn’t wait for Severus to reply, once more turning and heading towards his front door, though he was pleased to hear footsteps following along behind him. A quick greeting was exchanged between Severus and the Evans adults before Lane lead the way to his bedroom, making a left at the top of the stairs instead of the right Severus was used to when he had come upstairs with Lily when they were young.

“Have a seat anywhere you like,” he told Severus as they entered his room, Lane moving to shake his book out of his oversize blanket. Severus nodded and settled himself on Lane’s desk chair, looking around at the room, taking in the blend of Muggle and wizard living - posters depicting equestrian competitions as well as ones that showed Lane’s interest in Quidditch.

“I didn’t know you like horses,” he commented, motioning to the poster of a jumping horse and rider. Lane smiled and nodded, retrieving the book from where it had fallen on the floor, gently placing it on his bedside table.

“My parents let Lily and I choose what we wanted to do in regards to sports and unfortunately for them, and their wallets, I immediately chose horses. Nothing professional, of course, but I spent five years at a nearby stable.” Making his way over to his desk, Lane pulled a photo album from one of the drawers and offered it out to Severus. While his friend flipped through the pictures, Lane sat down on his bed, curling his legs under him.

“You look so happy,” Severus commented, smiling as he viewed pictures of his friend spanning from infancy to the current year.

“Well, I’m happy now, too, yanno,” Lane chuckled. “My interests just shifted when I found out about the whole magic thing, but I’m sure my love of horses fueled my desire to take magical creature based classes in school.”

“Your second favorite subject,” Severus recalled, nodding. Looking at the pictures once again, the dark haired male could easily see just how different Lane and Lily were, even from a young age.

“And one of your least favorites, aside from divination,” Lane smiled.

“It’s absolutely a scam,” Severus immediately declared, then shook his head with a smile when he realized he had issued a knee-jerk response. “Sorry, I know you like divination.”

“It’s just an easy class that I enjoy, but it doesn’t really do anything to influence my future.”

When the two lapsed into silence, Lane leaned back on his arms a little.

“Did you like the kiss?”

“What?”

“That’s why I asked you to come up here, where we could talk without people overhearing,” Lane told him. “You were absolutely shocked when I kissed you, to the point of complete silence when I left. Then you came over on Christmas day, asking if it was ‘just a kiss’ or if I meant something behind it, even though you’re well aware that we had been stuck under the mistletoe.” Severus glanced away from his friend, pretending to be distracted by the photo album once more.

“You’re the one making this awkward, Sev. We need to talk about this, because if we don’t, I have a feeling that it’s going to hinder our growing friendship. I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable…”

“I… didn’t hate it,” Severus sighed, gently closing the photo album and setting it on the desk before he brought his full attention to Lane.

“For years now, I’ve had a crush on your sister that was so intense it was pretty much an obsession. I didn’t have any sort of… attraction… to anyone before Lily,” he continued, his fingers picking at the seams on his pantlegs. “I’m worried that my interest in you, that the feeling I got in my stomach when we kissed, is just because I’m seeing you as Lily… not as Lane.”

“Not as a boy,” Lane nodded, having wondered about this was well.

“I keep telling myself you’re a boy,” Severus said quickly, leaning forward in his chair ever so slightly. “But that hasn’t stopped this feeling inside me. With Lily, the feeling was almost possessive, but with you…”

“But with me…?” Lane tried to coax out the answer, sitting up straight and watching Severus with careful eyes.

“I attached myself to Lily because despite my abhorrent childhood and disgusting clothing, she liked me and wanted to be my friend. I attached to her because she was the first person to ever show me kindness. It was the wrong kind of attachment, and it took me years to figure that out.” Severus moved to his feet, feeling the need to pace the room as he tried to explain himself, hand finding a home in the pockets of his pants.

“But with you… it’s not a craving to be loved… to be desired… Being around you, I feel… warm? Does that make sense? You make me feel warm, and smiling comes so easy with you, perhaps even easier than it came with Lily. And when you kissed me, my stomach almost leapt into my stomach. Everything just felt… right. It was nothing like when I fantasized about kissing Lily. It was so much better.”

“Sev…”

“And if you aren’t interested in me like that, it’s totally okay!” Severus twisted to look at his friend, smiling even though he was pouring his heart out. “I know how my mind works now, and I know that if you aren’t interested in me as something as more than a friend, I can take it. Because I want to be friends, regardless of how you feel. I love our conversations, especially when they pertain to potions.”

“Sev.”

“I’m really glad you made me talk about this, Lane. I can’t believe so much of this was all bottled up inside of me. And it has nothing to do with the fact that you are similar in looks to Lily. You could shave your head and cover yourself in green slime and as long as we could still talk like we do, I’d still have these feelings for you.”

“SEVERUS!” Lane had moved to his feet while Severus professed his feelings and stood toe to toe with his friend, putting his hands on Severus’ shoulders and giving him a gentle shake. The other male blinked rapidly, frowning as he wondered how he hadn’t noticed Lane moving. Before he could answer his own question, Lane had pulled him close by the front of his shirt once more, again pressing their lips together.

This time both their eyes slipped closed and Severus laid tentative hands on Lane’s hips while Lane’s arms curled around his neck, the kiss continuing much longer than the first one under the mistletoe. When they broke apart, both were blushing faintly, Lane absently biting his bottom lip.

“I like you, too,” he smiled, keeping his arms around Severus’ neck and enjoying the feel of the hands on his waist.


	3. Chapter 3

Sixth year progressed onwards with little to no surprises with the exception of Remus Lupin pulling Lane aside near the end of the year, requesting a few minutes of his time. The two hadn’t really spoken since James had opened his mouth and spat his homophobic remarks, but Lane paused in his trek to the Great Hall nonetheless.

“What’s on your mind, Lupin?”

“I was wondering if we could swap some boy talk again, actually.” Remus smiled a little, shifting a little as though he was anxious. Lane lifted an eyebrow before nodding and motioning towards the nearby exit.

“Wanna sit outside? The weather is finally warming up and we could sit outside? Everyone else is going to be eating so we shouldn’t be overheard,” he offered with a smile. When Remus agreed, the two headed outside and found a place to sit close to the courtyard fountain.

“I might be getting ahead of myself,” Remus began, pulling his knees against his chest and tucking his feet under himself to keep from falling off the fountain bench. “But… are you dating Snape?” Lane blushed almost immediately, shyly biting his bottom lip and looking away, though he responded with a short nod.

“I thought so. James has been running his mouth again, more than usual, and I wanted to get the full story before I indulged him in his torments.”

“He’s kinda an asshole,” Lane agreed, wiggling his feet against the cobblestone.

“We’ve been trying to curb that,” Remus told him, sighing heavily. “Lily and I, more specifically. She finally sees past his so called ‘boyish charm’ and is trying to make him see that if he wants to continue his relationship with her, he needs to stop bullying people.” Lane bit his tongue, not wanting to rant about James, at least not at this time and not to Remus.

“We’re almost done with this school year and it’ll just be me, Sirius, and James at the Potter house and I’m kind of worried about the things he says, especially when Lily isn’t around.”

“The homophobic shit again?” Lane asked, turning towards Remus with a frown. “I thought when you broke his nose you made it very clear that he couldn’t both support you and Sirius AND be against gay people?”

“I think it’s more about you and Snape, I mean Severus, dating. He keeps ranting about Severus only going for you because--”

“Because I look like Lily,” came the interruption, Lane rolling his eyes. “Don’t worry, Sev and I have talked about this. Several times, actually.”

“I’ve tried explaining that Severus isn’t using you as a stand in for Lily, but he’s determined to prove otherwise.” The pair both sighed, Remus resting his chin on his knees while Lane glanced up at the sky above, watching clouds slowly creep by. Keeping his eyes on the white fluff silhouetted against blue, Lane told Remus all about his and Severus’ Christmas conversation. Sexuality wasn’t easily defined, at least not to the extent that would make the explanation easier to understand, but Remus listened intently.

“Severus was really just discovering what his penis was for when he met Lily,” Remus repeated, nodding more to himself than anything. “He was right when he admitted that he wasn’t truly in love with Lily, he was obsessed. No wonder his feelings for you are so different from what he felt for Lily.”

“I’m glad at least one of you understands,” Lane smiled. “Lily one hundred percent had us meet for purely selfish, and misguided, reasons. But Severus likes me for my brain, and not for my looks.”

“You’re very attractive, though,” Remus blurted out. He immediately slapped his hand over his mouth, looking horrified at the words that had slipped out. Lane snorted before breaking into full on laughter, nearly falling backwards into the fountain.

“I am so sorry,” Remus tried to apologize, reaching out to steady the red head. Lane’s entire body shook with laughter and he had to force himself to gasp for air and attempt to calm himself.

“I really don’t know why you find this so funny,” Remus frowned, carefully releasing the other boy when he was no longer at risk of falling over.

“I wasn’t calling myself ugly,” Lane managed to force out, still snickering. “I didn’t mean my comment to be self-depreciating. I was just repeating what Severus told me when he blurted out his feelings for me. He especially loves when we talk about potions.”

Remus rubbed a hand over his face, embarrassment making his cheeks pink.

“Do you… love Severus?” Remus’ question came after several minutes of silence from the smaller male, though he couldn’t bring himself to look at Lane when he asked. Lane pondered this, once more turning his attention to the clouds above them and the beginnings of a sunset.

“I like him, quite a bit, actually, but I’m not sure if it’s love. It’s really only been a few months,” he answered honestly, kicking his feet somewhat absently.

“And getting together while in school really isn’t easy,” Remus added. “Though it’s different for me and Sirius, seeing as we’re not only in the same house, but we’re in the same year. It’s not hard to bed hop after everyone else has gone to sleep. A few quick spells and we get plenty of time to get to know one another.”

“While Sev and I spend time talking, and maybe making out a little. There are plenty of nooks and crannies where we can get a little handsy, but it’s not like we can do much else,” Lane sighed a little.

“You aren’t having sex?”

“Well… No…”

“Do you WANT to have sex?”

“Fuck yes.”

Remus’ eyebrows shot up at Lane’s blunt response before grinning at the red head.

“Well, I was expecting an honest response from you, but that was a lot more abrupt than I thought,” Remus chuckled. “I don’t mean to be bragging when I talk about getting to spend one-on-one time with Sirius.” Lane shook his head and waved a hand, not at all put off or bothered by the comment.

“I think I want to be friends with you, Remus,” he told the other boy, changing the topic completely. “And maybe that’s because we’re technically connected, thanks to Lily, but if things keep progressing, we’re all going to be hanging around one another in some way, shape, or form for a very long time. I’d rather be friends with at least one of you.”

“Agreed,” Remus smiled.

“Besides, when you marry Sirius, you’re going to want at least one person to squeal about wedding stuff with, and I’m pretty sure Peter and James won’t indulge you… and I have a feeling that, deep inside your ultra-calm exterior, the idea of getting married makes you want to squeal.”

“I’m slightly unnerved with how well you seem to know me, considering we’ve only spoken to each other twice,” Remus spoke slowly, wondering how in the world Lane had figured out such an intimate detail. 

“Just something to think about,” Lane smiled. The red head moved to his feet and stretched his arms over his head, bending slightly from side to side.

“Let’s get something to eat before we miss dinner completely. I might have easy access to raid the kitchen, and the House Elves may like me, but I’d rather eat with everyone else like a normal person.”

Remus moved to his feet as well, rolling around an idea inside his head.

“Have you had sex before?” he asked quickly before Lane started walking back towards the castle, making the other boy turn back towards him.

“Absolutely. I’ve never been in love before, but I’m not a virgin. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about the Hufflepuff common room.” Lane wiggled his eyebrows at Remus before he resumed his trek back to the castle, leaving Remus gaping in the courtyard.

*****

While summer made Lily depressed - being away from James for a full two months was not high on her list of things she enjoyed - it made Lane’s stomach flutter. While his sister was going to be far from her boyfriend, Lane was living within throwing distance of his new boyfriend, and he couldn’t wait to spend essentially unlimited time together.

“We’re sleeping in a tent?” Severus asked, lifting one eyebrow as he looked between Lane and the average sized tent that sat in the middle of Lane’s backyard. The yard itself wasn’t all that large, but the Evans family didn’t really spend time outdoors, so it was the perfect place for the two to hang out.

“It’s actually a wizard tent,” Lane grinned, unable to prevent himself from wiggling on the spot. “I asked Professor Slughorn for a favor in exchange for promising to attend all of his fancy dinners and such during seventh year.”

“You hate those things!”

“It will be worth it if I get to have time with you,” Lane assured him, taking Severus’ hand and leading him into the unassuming tent. Directly upon entering the tent contained a small ‘living area’ with a couch and a fireplace, and behind that there was a bed off to one side and a table and two chairs off to the other side.

“This is quite humble,” Severus remarked, finding himself lacing his fingers with Lane’s as they checked out the tent.

“I didn’t think we needed anything too crazy, and it’s spelled to keep the heat out, not to mention it keeps all of our sounds in.” While Lane was talking more about general conversations, both he and Severus also had thoughts regarding sex. Typical for the now seventeen year old males, especially after only being able to get a little handsy while in school.

“Your parents don’t mind that we’re going to be alone in the tent?”

“Not at all. Honestly I think they would rather us be out here, where they can’t see or hear us, instead of under their roof. They accept my sexuality and the fact I’m dating you, but they would very much prefer to be as in the dark about it as possible.”

“I understand that,” Severus nodded.

“And while I don’t think I really HAD to ask them, I did anyways, and they said you can spend the entire summer with us, if you want to.” Lane squeezed his boyfriend’s hand gently, stepping closer as he told him what he had done.

“You told them that my family is trash?”

“I used somewhat kinder words, but not enough to muddy the seriousness of your situation,” Lane admitted, releasing Severus’ hand to instead wrap his arms around the other boy’s neck. “Family is supposed to be all about love, and what you grew up with is certainly not love. I’m going to change that, even if we’re basically adults now and you can’t really call this your childhood.”

The look on Severus’ face softened as Lane spoke and he found himself wrapping his arms around Lane’s slender waist.

“The best part of my childhood was meeting you,” he smiled, pulling Lane’s body against his own.

“Sappy.”

“Don’t get used to it, you know I’m not that kind of guy,” Severus smiled, lowering his head just a little to press his lips against Lane’s, making Lane sigh happily.

The kiss was quick to turn into something more passionate as hands began to roam and Lane pressed his hips against Severus, making a low sound in the back of his throat. Severus responded with a quiet groan of his own, his hands quickly finding Lane’s firm backside and gripping it, pulling him closer. Their tongues sought each other out tentatively at first before the desire began to build, Severus finding himself overwhelmed by the urge to press Lane into the nearest available solid surface.

“Couch,” he broke the kiss to pant softly, moving his lips down to press a kiss to Lane’s neck, feeling the other boy squirm against him. When Lane nodded, the two broke apart only long enough to relocate the few steps to the couch.

“I know we’ve done this a few times, but there’s something much more exciting about being completely alone and not at risk of being interrupted,” Lane admitted, waiting for Severus to sit down before he straddled his boyfriend’s hips and resumed the passionate make out session. Once more their hips moved against one another, feeling their arousal building as they clung to one another like the horny teenagers they were.

Severus’ hands alternated between gripping Lane’s arse and sliding up under his shirt to feel the smooth skin along his lower back, both touches making Lane writhe against him. The two had only been back in Spinner’s End for less than twenty four hours and it should have come as no surprise to either of them that they were already racing towards more than just making out.

Lane opted to make the first bold move, breaking the kiss once more as he leaned back a little and dropped his hands to the hem of his shirt, biting his bottom lip almost playfully (it was quickly becoming Severus’ favorite facial expression, aside from his smile) before he tugged his shirt up and off, leaving him naked from the waist up. He stayed silent as Severus’ eyes roamed over his naked torso though his hips rolled gently, showing off his impressive core strength.

“Are you okay with this?” he asked when Severus hadn’t made a move to touch him and hadn’t made any sort of comment. The only response was Severus nodding quickly and resuming rocking his hips up against Lane.

“Am I going to be the only one half naked?” came the follow up question, Lane wiggling his hips a little as his erection pressed against his boyfriend’s. Once more Severus was quiet, but the dark haired male shook his head and removed his hands from Lane’s hips and moved to remove his own shirt. The action made Lane lick his lips and he leaned back carefully, trying to give Severus enough room to take off his shirt without bashing either of them in the face.

“You’re pale,” Lane remarked almost instantly, then blushed a little when he realized how rude his comment probably seemed.

“Unlike you, I don’t really go outdoors, and especially not topless,” Severus remarked, though he smiled as he dropped his shirt off the side of the couch. They took a few minutes to gently touch one another’s exposed skin, Lane taking note of the few scars that marred Severus’ otherwise pale skin, while Severus noted a speckle here and there on Lane’s lightly tanned upper body.

Feeling bold, Severus dropped his head down and placed a gentle kiss to the middle of Lane’s chest, causing the other boy to blush brightly. Lane threaded his fingers through Severus’ shaggy hair, giving a gentle tug as the mouth attached to said hair moved up over his collarbone, seemingly eager to leave a mark.

“Hey now,” the red head teased, squirming his hips in response to the sensation on his exposed skin. “We’re only halfway naked…”

“Halfway? Only?” Severus paused in his attempt to leave a bruise on Lane’s collarbone, lifting his head to peer at his boyfriend. Lane nodded, once more grinding their hips together as he smiled.

“I know that I’m a lot more experienced than you,” he began, only to be cut off by Severus who quickly stated that he was a ‘loser virgin.’ The words made Lane frown sadly, moving his hands to cup Severus’ cheeks and drawing him in for a gentle kiss.

“We’re still young and there is absolutely no shame in having never had sex,” he assured the dark haired male. “It just means that I get to teach you, which is something I’ve been dying to do since we first started dating.”

“Really?”

“Oh hells yes. I fully intend to completely corrupt you before the end of summer,” Lane said almost firmly, his smile turning into a wicked grin. When Severus only managed to blush, Lane took it as a sign of encouragement and opted to remove himself from Severus’ lap.

“Wait, what? I thought we were--” Severus started, his hands reaching for the other boy. Lane simply swooped in for a quick kiss before he kneeled down in front of Severus, sliding his hands over his boyfriend’s thighs.

“I just told you that I was going to corrupt you,” he reminded him, his touch making Severus squirm a little as Lane’s hands danced dangerously close to his bulge.

“Oh… I see…”

“I honestly was going to start with some mutual handjobs, but I’m also very selfish and I want nothing more than to have you cum in my mouth.” Lane’s words were incredibly blunt and Severus wasn’t sure if he was unnerved by them, or if they turned him on. What he did know was that as soon as Lane’s hand pressed against his erection, his hips surged upwards and he was barely able to stifle a moan. Sure, he had masturbated before, he was technically an adult, after all! But having someone else touch you, someone you were incredibly attracted to, was on an entirely different level and Severus was suddenly worried that he was going to cum much too quickly and embarrass himself.

“Lane…”

“I can stop, if you want me to,” was the quick response, Lane’s hands having unzipped Severus’ jeans but pausing when the other boy spoke. Severus shook his head, his cheeks growing more and more pink as he realized what was going to happen.

“N-no, I want this,” he spoke softly. “I’m just really nervous… about embarrassing myself…” Lane’s hands resumed their actions, gently tugging at Severus’ waistband and encouraging him to lift his hips so Lane could remove his pants.

“It’s totally normal to be nervous, Sev,” the red head assured him, smiling kindly, though the smile turned into a look of absolute shock as he pulled Severus’ pants and boxers down and revealed the eager length hidden under them.

“Fucking hell, Sev.”

Immediately Severus assumed his penis was repulsive - it was attached to him, after all, and all his life he had been told he was nothing short of absolutely disgusting. He tried to babble out an apology, his hands moving to cover himself as his body went from hot and aroused to ashamed and rapidly cooling.

“You’re fucking massive,” Lane continued, his eyes all but sparkling with delight and his mouth gaping in awe. One of his hands quickly curled around Severus’ thick base, making the other boy’s hips jerk upwards and a startled moan forced its way out of Severus’ throat.

“How have you been hiding this for so long?” Lane was absolutely amazed, one hand gently squeezing the base of the impressive length while his other hand traced a finger around the remaining flesh.

“I sit on your lap. A LOT. We’ve been dry humping each other for months. No wonder you were the first person to make me cum in my pants while humping…” Shock continued to remain in Lane’s voice as he inspected the length he held, his tongue tracing along his lips as the urge to taste quickly grew within him.

“I… it’s just a penis?” Severus tried to offer, though feeling Lane’s warm hands touching him in such an intimate place was making him squirm. He was quickly losing control.

“I’ve seen many a dick in my life, Sev. Yours is, by far, the biggest cock I’ve ever seen.” There was no more time for talking, at least, Lane had completely had enough of it. The red head leaned forward and wrapped his lips around the thick tip, twisting his tongue around the flare before he flicked it around the slit, causing Severus to moan loudly. The sight was nearly enough to throw Severus over the edge, the lanky teen barely able to keep his eyes open as he watched Lane’s lips stretch around the head of his cock.

“Lane… I’m…” he tried to warn his boyfriend, hips surging as Lane began stroking him in combination with the wicked tongue teasing his leaking tip. Lane simply pulled his head back with an impressive popping noise, leaving his mouth open and his tongue hanging out ever so slightly as he stroke Severus with both hands.

“Fuck yes, I want it,” he groaned, green eyes filled with lust as he watched Severus, not wanting to miss a single moment. Severus hadn’t known that seeing Lane in such a position was something he liked, but he knew the visual was going to be burned into his mind until the end of time, and possibly even longer. It only took a few more strokes to bring him over the edge, thick, heavy shots of cum painting Lane’s tongue as his hips jerked from the pleasure. Or perhaps it was ecstacy.

Lane moaned and continued to stroke him, moving his hand in what could only be described as a milking motion, eagerly coaxing every last drop from Severus’ twitching length. Only when he deemed Severus ‘dry’ did he lock eyes with his boyfriend and swallow audibly, making Severus groan.

“You swallowed it…” Severus mumbled, feeling himself sinking deeper into the couch as his energy rapidly left him, eyes slipping closed. Lane grinned and moved to settle on his boyfriend’s lap once more, licking his lips and nodding.

“I like cock,” he said with a shrug. “I have a damn good mouth and I’m going to put it to use on this beautiful dick of yours as often as you’ll let me.” As he spoke, Lane gave Severus’ half hard length a gentle squeeze. When Severus didn’t pull away from the touch - hypersensitivity is never any fun - Lane took it as a sign that things weren’t over yet.

“I heard that cum tastes really bad,” Severus somewhat pondered out loud, rolling his hips against Lane’s touches once more.

“Every person is different,” Lane smiled, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Severus’, watching as his boyfriend slowly opened his eyes.

“You obviously like it.”

“And you liked watching me.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m going to enjoy anything you do to me,” Severus answered honestly. “I’m at your mercy when it comes to sex.” Lane sat back, sliding his hands over his chest before moving them downwards, watching as Severus followed the actions.

“My turn,” he told the other boy, rolling his hips as he palmed his own erection through his pants. Severus could feel himself beginning to harden again as he watched Lane open his pants and draw out his own aching length. No more words were exchanged between the two as Lane arched his back and began stroking himself, his breath escaping in small pants and moans. He was of average length, though compared to Severus he looked almost small, not that either was going to complain.

Lane’s eyes slipped closed and he allowed his head to fall back as he thrust gently into his hand, moaning openly. Knowing that Severus was watching his every move only served to heighten the experience. It had been a long time since he had touched himself in such a ‘plain’ way, usually opting to finger himself. Or to use a dildo on himself. Or to simply have sex. The pretty red head had been sexually active since fifth year, but when it became obvious that Severus was interested in him he had opted to turn down his usual fuck buddies in favor of saving himself for Severus. After months of not being penetrated and using only his hands to pleasure himself, he was eager to do more.

“Oh fuck… I’m gonna cum…” he whimpered, curling his toes against the pleasure that was building inside him. Severus could only moan in response, their hips rolling together as Lane raced towards his completion.

“Sev… I’m gonna… Oh… Oh fuck… Sev… I’m cumming… I’m cumming!” Who could have known that Lane was so vocal, but Severus was certainly never going to complain. Hearing the boy on his lap come undone in such a way had completely renewed his erection, the large length twitching and leaking against his stomach.

Lane arched, thighs tensing, as he came with a happy cry, his pearly white seed arcing through the air and splattering against Severus’ naked chest. Fearing the red head would fall off of his lap, Severus quickly held his hips, amazed by the sight before him. He would never get sick of this sight, he swore it.

As Lane came down from his release, Severus coaxed him to lean forward and rest against him, not caring as Lane’s mess spread over both their chests. They would probably complain later, especially once it started to dry, but for the moment Severus just wanted to enjoy the bliss. Even if his own length was hard and leaking once more. Such is the hazard of being highly inexperienced.

“You are absolutely amazing,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around Lane and holding him close as the boy panted against his neck.

“You make me stupidly horny,” was Lane’s response, smiling against Severus’ shoulder as his heart rate slowly returned to normal. “And I guess I make you feel the same, judging by the boner that’s poking me in the stomach right now.”

“Sorry…”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m just going to take a minute or two for my head to come back and then I’m absolutely going to take care of you,” Lane promised. “I’m eager to see if I can swallow your entire dick.”


	4. Chapter 4

Summer passed by much too quickly for Lane’s liking and soon enough he was boarding the train to return to Hogwarts. Severus excused himself to use the bathroom, leaving the pouting red head alone. As he sat quietly, mourning the loss of unrestricted, and near constant, sex, Lane found his eyes drawn to the thin black ring that rested on the so called ring finger of his left hand. It was made of enchanted hematite, purchased only a day earlier when he and Severus had gone to Diagon Alley to pick up their school supplies.

“OH. MY. GODS.”

The shriek of surprise that passed Lane’s lips no doubt startled most people on the train. Lane immediately shoved both of his hands under his backside, staring with wide eyes at the person who stood in the doorway to the train cabin.

“Remus! Hello!” he laughed nervously, greeting his friend with a somewhat forced smile. “I didn’t expect to see you.”

“Oh hell no, you don’t get to play the innocent card,” Remus frowned, moving into the cabin and sitting down directly across from Lane. “Show me.” The brunette thrust his hand out towards Lane, curling his finger in a ‘hand it over’ type of motion.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Lane said with a shake of his hand, still sitting on both his hands. When Remus continued to stare at him with an unamused expression, Lane looked away. When the staring was then accompanied by a tapping foot and a flat, held out palm, Lane groaned.

“You’re an ass,” he muttered, pulling his hands from their place under his butt and offering his left hand out for Remus to inspect. The other boy bounced in his seat as he seized Lane’s hand, pulling it closer as he gazed at the thin, unassuming band of stone that wound its way around Lane’s ring finger.

“I can’t believe it!” Remus was barely able to keep his voice under control, eyes darting between the ring and Lane’s face.

“Can’t believe what?” Severus asked as he entered the cabin, though he found his own questioned answered when he saw what Remus was talking about.

“You’re getting married!”

“Well, maybe,” Lane sighed, gently pulling his hand back. Severus sat himself down beside his boyfriend, looking somewhat uncomfortable with the conversation he had walked into.

“Maybe?”

“I said yes, but I’m making him wait until at least after we graduate, minimum,” Lane explained. “No need to rush into things, but I couldn’t resist a pretty ring.”

“It’s certainly… something…” Remus admitted, nodding some.

“Hematite is non-reactive,” Severus explained. “With how much Lane and I work with volatile potions ingredients, it seemed obvious to choose a ring that wouldn’t cause reactions or be easily destroyed.”

“Wait, are you wearing one too?” Remus leaned forward and reached out to grab Severus’ hand but was quickly blocked as Severus pulled his hands out of reach.

“Yes, thank you. We decided to each wear one, even if we aren’t married yet,” he grumbled, tucking his hands into his pockets.

Remus went to ask another question but was cut short when Sirius, James, and Peter appeared in the doorway, blocking the hallway of the train and looking unimpressed to find Remus sitting with Lane and Severus.

“What in the world are you doing in here, Moony?” Sirius looked almost as though he were pouting, glancing between his boyfriend and the two other males sitting in the cabin.

“Talking with my friend, obviously,” Remus retorted, rolling his eyes. “Either come in and stop blocking the hall or move on and I’ll come find you guys as soon as I’m done here.” James made a gagging noise and Peter quickly joined in, making Sirius frown and elbow his friend in the ribs.

“You two go find Lily and get us a place to sit,” he told them, shooing them with one hand. “Moony and I won’t be long, don’t worry.” James perked up at the mention of his girlfriend, quickly heading deeper into the train, followed by Peter.

“Sorry about that,” Sirius sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he stepped into the cabin and took a seat beside Remus.

“We spent all summer trying to get James to stop hating on the two of you so much,” Remus said, taking Sirius’ hand and lacing their fingers. “I mean, Lane and I became friends easily enough, even if we really only bonded because we’re gay.”

“I want to at least be civil,” Sirius told them, managing a small smile. “If you two are going to be friends, we’ll probably see a lot more of each other, especially outside of school.”

“You want to stay friends even after we graduate?” Lane was somewhat surprised though he smiled anyways. “I’d love that.”

“And you, Severus?” Remus turned his attention to the quiet male sitting with his arm casually wrapped around Lane’s waist.

“I don’t really make friends, aside from Lucius,” Severus shrugged. “Whomever Lane wants to be friends with, I’ll associate with.” Remus and Sirius blinked several times at the response before Sirius laughed a little.

“I’ll take it,” he grinned.

“Besides, I’m going to be helping Lane plan his wedding, so we’re all going to see a lot of one another after we graduate.”

“WHAT?”

“Severus and Lane are both sporting rings, Sirius,” Remus chuckled, motioning to the couple. This time Lane didn’t hesitate to show off his ring but Severus only held out his hand when instructed to do so by his new fiance.

“Guess it’s time for you to get a move on, eh Black?” Lane teased, sitting back and leaning against Severus with a smirk on his face. It was wonderful to see Sirius sputter and Remus blush madly.

“We better go find James and the others,” Remus rubbed at his cheeks as he moved to his feet, pulling Sirius along with him. “We’ll see you around, Lane. Severus.”

As soon as the door to their cabin slid closed, Severus allowed himself to grin as he turned slightly to face his fiance.

“You are an absolutely evil human being,” he told Lane, making the other boy preen.

*****

As seventh year all but raced by, Remus from himself seeking out Lane while everyone else was heading out on a Hogsmeade visit. The small brunette had told his friends that he was feeling unwell, which was true, but also managed to catch Lane before he and Severus headed into the village.

“Can I borrow your fiance for a bit, Severus?” he asked politely. Remus looked somewhat pale and as though he hadn’t been sleeping well, making both Lane and Severus frown. The taller male nodded, giving Lane’s hand a quick squeeze.

“I’m going to go buy those candies you like,” he told the red head, smiling briefly before following the other students in the direction of Hogsmeade. Lane bit his bottom lip as he smiled, feeling his stomach flutter ever so slightly. Remus felt his stomach turn for completely other reasons.

“Let’s go sit by the lake, yeah?” Remus suggested, nodding in the opposite direction that the other students were heading.

“Hmm? Oh! Yes! Of course. The weather is getting so nice, it will be a treat to sit outside and enjoy some quiet time,” Lane grinned, leading the way. “I’m starting to feel stressed out from finals and they aren’t even here yet. These tests are going to determine not just my future, but Sev’s as well.”

“You two are really planning a future together, huh?”

“Oh absolutely. I know I was cautious in the beginning, even if I let Sev put a ring on me, but… I don’t know if I could imagine living without him.” Lane knew he was blushing, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his zip up hoodie.

“So what are you planning to do? Something potions related, I assume.”

“Obviously,” Lane laughed. “Sev wants to become a fully certified Potions Master, and I’m kind of leaning in the same direction, but if I don’t achieve full certification, that’s okay with me. I just want to work in a shop, preferably in Hogsmeade.”

“Why Hogsmeade?”

“So Sev and I can visit more easily when he’s working here at Hogwarts as the Potions Professor.”

Remus nearly tripped over his own feet, accepting a steady hand from Lane as the red head chuckled.

“Severus wants to teach?” Remus asked with surprise, his eyebrows lifting. Lane nodded, a light blush crossing his cheeks.

“New Professors don’t get to go home as often as more experienced Professors so Sev will have to stay on campus on evenings and weekends for at least a year, or longer. Me being in Hogsmeade will mean I get to see him a lot more often.”

The two came to a stop in their usual place beside the Black Lake, Remus transfiguring a handkerchief he was carrying into a blanket to spread across the grass. As they sat down, Remus wondered what his plans for the future were.

“I’m sure you didn’t ask me out here so we could talk about after graduation, Remus,” Lane peered over at his friend, pulling his knees against his chest and resting his chin on them. Remus nodded, blowing out a long breath.

“Lane… what do you know about male pregnancy?”

“It’s incredibly rare,” Lane frowned. “In general, wizards don’t tend to have long term same sex relationships because their goal in life is usually to continue their wizarding bloodline. Those who do stay in a same sex relationship tend to be with a Muggle… and male pregnancy requires two wizarding males and a strong bond.”

“You haven’t researched this at all,” Remus teased, making Lane blush brightly, the red head gently punching his friend in the upper arm.

“Don’t judge me. I can’t help it if I’m fantasizing about my future, and more than just what jobs we’re going to be working.”

“I’m pregnant.”

Lane twisted to stare at Remus so quickly that he may have pulled a muscle in his back, wide green eyes full of shock. His eyes moved from Remus’ solemn face to his stomach and then back up again, his facial expression changing from confusion to shock to worry. The red head carefully reached out to rest a hand on Remus’ shoulder, his head tilting as worry became the main expression on his face.

“You’re absolutely sure?”

“They brought in a Healer from St. Mungos to confirm it,” Remus nodded, lowering his eyes to his hands and where he was picking at his nails.

“Have you told Sirius…?” Remus shook his head.

“I don’t know how to tell him. He’s not the type to settle down and raise a child, not at our age. We’re not even eighteen yet.”

“So you think he’s going to leave you if you keep the baby?” Lane frowned, shuffling closer to Remus and wrapping his arms around his friend. Remus shifted his body to curl himself against Lane’s chest despite the two of them being nearly the same size.

“Are you keeping the baby?” the red head asked softly, his body rocking gently in an attempt to soothe Remus. He could feel the other boy’s breathing beginning to get ragged as Remus struggled to keep from breaking down.

“I never thought I would ever be in a relationship, with my illness and all,” Remus mumbled, his arms curled tightly around Lane’s waist. “I never dreamed that I would ever have a family… What if this is my only chance to have a child? If Sirius leaves me…” When Remus’ voice trailed off, Lane held him tighter.

“Sirius isn’t going to leave you,” he assured his friend. “James would never allow him to break your heart, even if he sometimes struggles with accepting gay people. And even though I know it will sound like a joke, if James fails to kick his ass, I damn well would.” The two shared a, somewhat forced, chuckle. Remus and Lane had become close friends which had drawn their two groups together, and even though Lane was no match for Sirius, he absolutely would attempt to kick the other boys ass if he hurt Remus.

“I’ll make a deal with you,” Lane told Remus. “I will go with you when you tell Sirius. I will kick his ass if he doesn’t accept responsibility. And I will take care of you if he continues to be a complete asshole.”

“Take care of me?” Remus sat up, frowning.

“Your biological family abandoned you after you got sick,” Lane told him, offering a small smile. “Sirius and James are your only family right now, after years of you struggling to find your place in the world. If Sirius doesn’t step up and take care of you… your place in the Potter house will most likely be compromised. I don’t have much, but between Severus and I, we could take of you. Give you a place to live.”

“Lane…”

“There aren’t a lot of options when it comes to people who are sick, like you are,” Lane continued, suddenly feeling very awkward about his offer. “I didn’t mean to make it sound weird. You’re my friend and I don’t want you to suffer alone.”

Remus sighed and hugged Lane tightly, mumbling a thank you for his kindness.

“Remus!” Sirius’ voice floated across the lake, causing the two friends to pull apart and look around for the source. Remus frowned as he spotted his boyfriend jogging towards them, moving to his feet.

“Guess he didn’t take the hint about going to the village without you,” Lane snickered, leaning back on his hands as he observed the other boy approaching them.

Sirius curled his arms around Remus and swept him clear off his feet, spinning his boyfriend around with a smile. Lane winced at the motion, watching Remus scramble to be put down. The brunette took a few steps away before emptying his stomach all over the grass.

“Moony?” Sirius stepped closer, resting a gentle hand on Remus’ back.

“I’m okay,” came the weak response. Lane lifted his wand and flicked it towards the mess, water siphoning from the lake to wash the vomit away.

“I gues you weren’t kidding when you said you were sick,” Sirius frowned, watching as Remus performed a breath freshening charm on himself to banish the taste of vomit in his mouth.

“I think we need to sit down,” Remus told his boyfriend, motioning to the blanket. Lane quickly moved to his feet, making room for the two lovers.

“I’m going to head back to the castle,” he told them, shoving his hands into his pockets once again. “Let me know if you need anything, Remus.”

“Thanks, Lane,” Remus sighed, once more taking a spot on the blanket. Sirius sat down beside him and curled an arm around Remus’ waist, gently pulling him close. The two lapsed into silence for quite some time, not that Sirius really minded. Having Remus in his arms was one of his favorite things, especially when it was just the two of them.

“Is there something you wanted to tell me, Moony?” Sirius turned his head and pressed a soft kiss to Remus’ hair.

“Yes… but I’m not quite sure how to say it…”

“Are you breaking up with me?”

“No!” Remus sat up so quickly that the top of his head smacked into Sirius’ chin, causing both to cringe with pain. Rubbing the top of his head, Remus moved forward and pressed an apologetic kiss to his boyfriend’s chin, whispering an apology.

“I’m going to assume that you told Lane already?” Sirius smiled a little. “I mean, if you can tell Lane then I’m sure you can tell me?”

“Well, I sort of blurted it out to him,” Remus admitted, smiling somewhat sheepishly. “I had planned on easing into the conversation and then it sort of… popped out.”

“So blurt it out to me?” Sirius continued to smile, lifting his hand to gently guide Remus’ chin forward, sharing a soft kiss. Remus opted to continue the kiss, pressing himself closer to Sirius as he encouraged the other male to participate. Sirius’ hands moved over Remus’ shoulders and down his sides, moving to rest on the other boy’s hips as their kissing turned into a more passionate make out session.

“You’re going to have to tell me eventually, Moony,” Sirius panted as he pulled back just long enough to utter the words, teasing his lover. Remus groaned softly as Sirius then moved his lips down along his neck, squirming as his boyfriend immediately sought to leave a mark. Not wanting to have to try and hide yet another ‘love bite,’ Remus lifted one of Sirius’ hands from his waist and moved it to his stomach.

“I’ve been sick, Pads,” he shivered, pressing Sirius’ hand against his still flat stomach. “In the morning, more specifically…”

“I know you’ve been sick, I watched you puke,” Sirius chuckled, lifting his head to grin at Remus. “I assume you’re telling me that you have a stomach virus, hence the hand action?” Remus rolled his eyes, not letting Sirius move his hand away.

“Morning. Sickness. I need you to turn on your brain, Padfoot. Listen to what I’m trying to tell you.” Remus swore he could see the wheels turning inside Sirius’ head and wondered if he was going to witness smoke coming out of his ears as Sirius thought hard on the words Remus was using. It took nearly a minute before Sirius’ eyes widened.

“There you go,” Remus said.

“You’re pregnant?!”

“Unfortunately.”

“You’re a boy.”

“Yes, I am. Something you are very aware of,” Remus sighed. “Two Healers have confirmed it, one of them having been summoned from St. Mungos because they had more knowledge of male pregnancy.” Sirius gazed down at where his hand continued to rest against Remus’ clothed stomach, rubbing gently.

“You’re pregnant…” The surprise and confusion had turned into a look of awe.

“Are you mad?”

“I’m a bit shocked, honestly,” Sirius nodded, his eyes moving between Remus’ stomach and his boyfriends uncertain face before he pulled Remus close and hugged him tightly.

“I was worried you were going to be upset… or worse…” Remus admitted, sighing softly as he returned the hug. Sirius shook his head, rubbing his hands up and down the other boy’s back.

“How far along?”

“About a month. I’ll be three months when we graduate, and possibly showing.”

“Good thing you wear baggy clothes,” Sirius teased, pressing another kiss to Remus’ neck. The conversation quickly turned from serious back to sexual once again, the two pushing aside the baby talk in favor of taking advantage of the time alone. Remus knew they would talk about it much more once the realization had fully settled into Sirius’ mind.


	5. Chapter 5

James was highly unimpressed, arms crossed over his chest as he glanced around the room. He had been called to the empty astronomy tower by request of Remus and Sirius, as was Peter. What he didn’t understand was why Lane was also sitting on one of the comfortable couches, legs crossed at the knee and toe bouncing gently.

“I thought this was a meeting for just us?” he asked, glancing towards Remus. The brunette sat at the same table as James and Peter with Sirius standing behind him and hugging him from behind.

“It is,” Remus smiled, though he looked slightly nervous.

“Then what is he doing here?” James motioned towards Lane, the red head giving him a sarcastic smile.

“Think of me as the educational consultant,” Lane told him. “I have the most knowledge about this situation and no doubt there are going to be question. I also brought informational literature.” He held up several scrolls, wiggling them a little.

“Lane is here because I asked him to come,” Remus sighed. “He’s our friend and I want the rest of you to be friends with him as well. But that’s not why I asked you to meet me up here.” Sirius took the start of the conversation as a sign to sit properly, settling himself in the chair beside his boyfriend and wrapping his arm around Remus’ waist.

“This is the last Hogsmeade trip of our school life,” Peter almost whined. “We’re missing it.”

“Worth it, Pete, I promise,” Sirius smiled.

“I was supposed to take Lily on a date,” James grumbled, glancing out the nearby window. “And why isn’t she here? She’s one of us.”

“The four of us make up this group, Prongs. No one else.” When James went to motion to Lane again, Sirius narrowed his eyes and James lowered his hand back to his lap.

“I’m not really sure how to say this, honestly,” Remus began, playing with the fringe of the tablecloth as he avoided looking at his two friends.

“Well, you blurted it out to me,” Lane chuckled. “And you dropped hints to Sirius in attempt to make his brain engage and that nearly failed.”

“Oi!”

“I think it’s in your best interest to just tell them and then I’ll back you up.” Sirius nodded in agreement, giving Remus a gentle squeeze.

“You told Sirius? What is so important that you make us miss the last Hogsmeade trip we’ll ever have but yet not so important that you had time to tell Sirius first?” James was so used to everything being discussed as a group that he found it somewhat unsettling that two people, including someone NOT of the group, knew the big secret before he and Peter did.

“I’m pregnant.” When in doubt, blurt it out.

James and Peter remained silent for several moments, giving Lane time to move to his feet and distribute the scrolls he had made for the occasion.

“These scrolls contain answers to ninety nine percent of the questions you’re about to ask,” he told them, pointing a finger at James, followed by one at Peter. “In order to make any comments or ask any questions, you are obligated to read these scrolls first. Remus put me in charge of answering most of these questions and I didn’t want to have to repeat myself, so I took the liberty of compiling answers to the impending questions.”

Remus grinned and Sirius outright laughed, accept their own scroll to share between the two of them. As they reviewed the questions and answers, Remus found himself nodding and smiling.

“You did a very thorough job,” he told his friend. “These are pretty much the questions I asked the Healer, or ones Sirius has been pestering you with. I’m impressed.”

James opened his mouth to ask a question and Lane pointed a finger at him.

“Nope. Think hard about the question you’re about to ask. Is this something that’s already been covered by my notes and you think that asking someone else will result in a different answer?” James frowned and closed his mouth, returning his eyes to the scroll. Lane scoffed, hooking his thumbs into the pockets of his favorite zip up hoodie and rocking on his toes slightly.

“I have a question that’s not on here,” Peter said timidly, raising his hand as if he were in class. When Lane nodded at him, he continued, “Are you keeping the baby?”

“Absolutely,” Sirius grinned, already beaming like a typical proud father-to-be.

“Where are you going to live?” James asked with a slight frown.

“We’re still figuring that out,” Remus admitted. “We were hoping to continue mooching off of you until Sirius could get a job and we could find our own place. But…” When his boyfriend’s voice drifted off, Sirius continued for him,

“But if that isn’t okay with you, or your parents, Lane has offered us support.”

“Lane?” James looked almost horrified at this suggestion. “Absolutely not!”

“Lane is a good guy, James, and I wish you would stop talking shit about him!” Remus snapped, but James shook his head, holding up his hands as though he was trying to surrender.

“That’s not what I meant, Moony! I’m just hurt that you would think that me or my parents would just abandon you because you’re pregnant. I would never leave you like that, I swear to you.” James stood from his chair and came around the table, hugging Remus so suddenly that it caused the other boy to squeak in surprise.

“I am so sorry that I ever made you think that I would do something like that.” The act of affection and the way James’ voice wobbled made even Lane’s heart lurch. Sirius was startled when James suddenly reached out and pulled him into the hug as well, though his surprise was followed by a chuckle.

“Aw Prongs, it’s okay mate,” he tried to calm his friend down. “Just a misunderstanding, that’s all.”

“I think this is a good time for me to leave,” Lane bowed his head just a little before he turned and headed for the door. James released Remus and Sirius from his arms and hurried over to Lane, catching him by the arm before he could step completely out the door.

“Wait, Lane, please.” Lane indeed hesitated, taking a deep breath before turning to face James.

“I didn’t mean to step on your toes, Potter, I just--” James sighed, covering Lane’s mouth with his hand.

“Listen, Evans,” he began, waiting until Lane regarded him with a lifted eyebrow before he removed his hand. “I’m not the easiest person to be around, I get that. And I’ve been working on that.”

“Couldn’t tell,” Lane muttered, though he was surprised when James nodded his agreement. The dark haired male motioned towards and couch and Lane agreed, the two moving to sit down.

“Thank you for offering to take care of Remus,” James continued. “I know the two of you, and then Sirius, have become close friends. I guess it’s easier to bond with someone when you share a sexuality.”

“I wanted us to be friends as well,” Lane told him. “Or I at least wanted all of us to be civil. I mean, come on, you’re going to be marrying my sister one day, and while Lily and I aren’t close by any means, there will always be family events.”

“James is asking Lily to marry him?” Peter frowned from his place at the table where he, Remus, and Sirius sat.

“Well, duh,” Lane rolled his eyes with a smile. “I’ve never seen a couple more head over heels for each other, and I’ve been subjected to Remus and Sirius snogging each other in the Quidditch shed.”

“Oi!”

All five males chuckled and James smiled, offering out a hand.

“A truce, to start, perhaps?”

“I accept,” Lane smiled in return, shaking the offered hand.

“What about Snape?”

“Sev doesn’t really make friends,” Lane admitted, shrugging. “As he said to Remus and Sirius on the train at the beginning of the year, any friends of mine… he will tolerate them. It helps that you’ve stopped being an utter douche canoe to him.” James flushed at this comment but knew it was true, and his comment about working on fixing his flaws had been true.

“Graduation is in two months,” Remus said, moving to his feet. “I’m going to make it out of Hogwarts without anyone knowing I got myself knocked up, provided all of you keep your mouths shut.” James, Peter, and Lane agreed easily enough, four sets of eyes coming to rest on Sirius who smiled sheepishly.

“I guess this means I can’t brag to everyone that I’m doing to be a daddy?”

*****

“Camping?” Remus stared at his friend, one hand resting on his stomach while the two males had tea and enjoyed homemade cookies. James’ parents were more than happy to have Remus (and Sirius) living with them, converting their spare bedroom into a small flat for the couple - thank Merlin for magic.

“Lane, my lovely friend, I’m six months pregnant. Do you really think I want to go out into the middle of no where and rough it for two weeks?”

“Hells yes,” Lane grinned, doing a little wiggle in his seat. “One last hurrah before our little group starts becoming parents. We both know that Lily and James won’t be far behind.”

“James did pop the question at our graduation party,” Remus chuckled. “Not to mention you and Severus haven’t picked a date yet.” When Lane bit his bottom lip and gave a sheepish smile, Remus threw a cookie at him.

“You picked a date, you arse!” he accused, laughing as Lane fumbled with the cookie.

“It’s all part of the plan,” the red head grinned. “Sev and I, well, I suppose it was just me… Anyways! I decided to get married the first day of the camping trip and spend two weeks with my friends, celebrating.”

“I have a hard time believing Severus agreed to spend two weeks with us with no buffer.”

“True… but that’s what magical tents are for,” Lane said with a smile, sipping his tea. “I ordered a huge one for the two of us, complete with a potions area. Sev will have a place to spend time alone while I hang out with you guys.”

“You can get tents that have a potions lab in them?” When Lane nodded, Remus found himself dumbfounded. Who knew such things existed!

“Will you please say yes? I really want to share this moment with all of you. Even James and Lily.” Lane pouted and batted his eyelashes at Remus, tilting his head in an attempt to look cute and sway Remus’ opinion. With a huge sigh, Remus nodded.

“Fine, but I get to complain the entire time.”

“Agreed!” Lane pumped a fist in celebration, launching into a full description of his plans for the camping trip. Silly games, probably some drinking, and making sure to use the proper spells to soundproof the tents. No one wanted to hear another couple having sex, especially poor Peter who was most likely going to be single for his entire life. As Remus should have expected, Lane even produced a scroll that listed all of his ideas and wishes, with his and Severus’ wedding at the top.

*****

“Dude, you didn’t say we were going to be camping beside hot springs!” James immediately found himself thankful for his newfound friendship with Lane, clapping happily as he observed their campsite.

“Lane spent the last week crafting the perfect campsite for you,” Severus told him, not waiting for a response before he moved to start setting up his and Lane’s tent.

“You made this place?” Sirius’ mouth dropped open, making Remus elbow him in the side.

“Nothing I could find was a right fit for the type of camping trip I wanted,” Lane shrugged. “So I popped out here every day after work for the last week and made good use of the magic we are so freely able to use now that we’ve graduated.”

“He slept very little,” Severus grumbled, flicking his own wand as he erected their tent.

“Sev is grumpy that we haven’t been able to cuddle as often as he would like, considering we’re out of school,” Lane teased, blowing a kiss in the direction of his fiance. Severus rolled his eyes and turned his back to the group in order to hide the faint blush that spread over his cheeks.

“Oh, he’s jealous that Moony and I shared a dorm,” Sirius grinned.

“I’m bloody jealous of that,” Lane told him. “But that doesn’t matter anymore. We live together now and in… oh… two hours, the two of us are going to be married.” Lane glanced at his watch as he said this, a smile creeping over his lips. Married. The word felt so foreign and yet so exciting, all at the same time.

“That means you should get out tent set up, Pads,” Remus prodded his boyfriend in the ribs, making Sirius squeak and jump away a few steps. The shaggy haired male scowled slightly at Remus before doing as he was told, pulling his wand from his pocket.

“Is Lily going to come join us?” Lane asked, having not seen his sister since graduation. He had moved out the very next day thanks to a generous offer by the man he was apprenticing under. Lane had been accepted to apprentice at the potions shop in Hogsmeade and the owner offered up the empty (and very old) flat above the shop for the teenager to live in. A few spells and some hard work had transformed the flat into something very livable.

“I’m hoping so, but I’m also not holding my breath,” James sighed. “She had quite the rant to give me when I asked her, even more than Moony, and he’s the pregnant one.”

“I’m far less upset about this trip now that I know that I get to soak in the hot springs all day,” Remus grinned.

“Just make sure to cast a protection spell on your stomach,” Lane called from where he had moved to help James set up his tent. “Pregnant… erm… people can’t soak in hot water like that without risking the baby. Luckily, there are spells to keep the heat off your stomach and in turn, your womb and baby.”

“Yes mother,” Remus rolled his eyes.

“Womb,” Sirius snickered.

“Is Peter coming?” Lane asked, deeming James’ tent to be correctly assembled before he wandered over to where Sirius seemed to be struggling with his.

“He said he was busy with his new job,” James answered. “I didn’t even know he had gotten a job but he also said he’s very happy, and I suppose that’s all that matters. Besides, getting two whole weeks off from a new job is almost impossible, we’re all lucky to have gotten the time to hang out.”

“Says the only one of us who doesn’t actually have to work,” Sirius said, throwing a rock at his friend, the action taking his attention away from the tent and causing it to collapse on itself. When James bent down to pick up his own rock and begin a war with Sirius, Lane and Remus rolled their eyes and accepted the task of erecting the tent.

“I also built a shower on the side of the springs, so we have running hot water at all times and don’t have to rely on spells to keep us from smelling like homeless people,” Lane told his friend, flicking his wand to ensure the tent stays upright.

“Speaking of that, Lane,” Severus seemed to appear out of no where, making Lane squeal and nearly trip over his own feet as he spun to face his fiance. Severus quickly wrapped his arms around Lane’s waist, holding him steady. The action made Lane giggle, wrapping his arms around Severus’ neck and lifting himself onto his toes to press a quick kiss to his fiance’s lips.

“Yes, yes, I love you, too,” Severus smiled, returning the kiss. “But we need to pick a space for the wedding, even if it’s just going to be the five of us. And I’d like to change into something a bit more formal.” Lane sighed happily but nodded, stepping away.

“I like the forest that’s on the other side of the camp,” he told Severus, motioning behind Sirius and Remus’ tent. James had opted to pitch his tent a bit more north, and Severus had placed his and Lane’s tent close to the hot springs.

“A wonderful backdrop,” Severus agreed. “I will ask Remus if he would be so kind as to take a few pictures for us.”

“Perhaps James would be a better choice.”

“Oh?”

“Remus and I are easily the more… feminine… of our little group, and with his rampant hormones right now, I think it’s safe to assume that he’s going to cry. The ceremony is only going to take a few minutes and James is the most level headed, given the situation.” Agreeing with his fiance’s explanation, Severus suggested the pair set up the chairs and the arch Lane had insisted they get married under - tree branches bent into shape with pretty flowers blooming on them.

Remus chuckled as he watched the exchange between the two, tugging Sirius down by the front of the shirt so he could kiss his boyfriend.

“They are absolutely adorable, aren’t they?” he asked, waving a hand in the direction Severus and Lane had walked. Sirius nodded, sliding his hands down to rub over Remus’ bulging stomach.

“They are, but you’re even more adorable, all swollen with my child… Are you sure we couldn’t find out the gender?”

“I tried, Pads, but the little shit kept crossing its legs. The Healer said she had never seen anything like it.” Remus grinned at the memory, having had to attend the latest magical ultrasound without Sirius, due to his lover being busy at work. Sirius crouched and pressed a soft kiss to the clothed stomach.

“According to the other male pregnancies on record, not that there are a ton or anything, it’s most likely that we’re having a boy,” Remus continued, stroking Sirius’ hair and enjoying the tender moment.

“What about the other part of the genetics that we’re worried about?”

“We won’t know until baby is born and the full moon comes, unfortunately.”

James made his way over, stretching his arms above his head as he walked and shaking his head at his friends with a smile on his face.

“I’m starting to feel like the odd man out, here, guys,” he joked, dropping his arms and shoving his hands into his pockets. “I really hope Lily comes and joins us.”

“Oh shoot, that means she’s not coming to the wedding.” Remus looked somewhat horrified at this realization, glancing over his shoulder at Lane.

“I can’t believe he didn’t say anything,” Sirius frowned, standing up from where he had crouched.

“Well, they both keep saying that they were never close, even as young children,” James tried to rationalize. “I suppose it’s similar to Regulus not attending your wedding, eh Pads?”

“I think there’s a difference between Lily and Lane not getting along and a sibling who chose to join the dark side, Prongs,” Sirius huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. He and Regulus had never been close, much like Lane and Lily, but he wondered if things had been different if his brother hadn’t been corrupted by the Black side of the family.


	6. Chapter 6

Ten minutes before the wedding was set to begin, a sharp crack of noise signalled the arrival of one more guest - none other than Mister Lucius Malfoy. Severus couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face, moving towards his friend with arms spread for a hug.

“You came!” Lane stuck his head out of the tent, keeping his special wedding day outfit hidden as he greeted Severus’ best friend. Lucius smiled, patting Severus on the shoulder.

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” he told them.

“Narcissa isn’t joining us?”

“She politely declined attendance,” Lucius smiled, his words firm and short. Severus nodded in understanding, watching his husband-to-be vanish back into the tent so he could finish getting ready.

“Shall I walk you down the aisle?” the blonde teased, offering his arm out to Severus. His younger friend laughing and pushed the arm away, though the two walked towards the arch of branches and flowers, chatting quietly.

Inside the tent, Remus smiled as he arranged the hood of Lane’s cloak, draping it gently over his friend’s head. It had been a last minute purchase, the cloak being pure white with silver edging and a slightly darker silver inner layer.

“You look beautiful,” Remus sighed, his smile reflecting the romance he felt building in the air. “But I’m not sure how Severus is going to feel about your new hairstyle.” Lane grinned, twirling his finger in the small strand of hair that brushed against his cheek.

“Sev once told me that he loved me, regardless of how I looked. It was time for a change, and while it’s not the biggest change, I’m happy with it.”

The two shared a quiet moment before Remus excused himself and headed to take a seat beside his boyfriend. The wedding was far from traditional but Lane walking down the aisle was just enough to make the red head happy.

Taking a deep breath, Lane left his tent and started the big walk towards the man he had never expected to fall in love with. Severus turned to face his approaching groom and for a moment he was sure that his heart skipped a beat.

It was September, summer had ended but it was still just the right kind of warm outside. The sun shined down on their little campsite, making the flowers open just a little wider as the leaves on the branches that made up the wedding arch seemed to look a little greener. A little fuller. Maybe that was Lane’s magic, maybe it was the beauty of nature responding to their love, who knew.

The Ministry official who had been brought in just for this moment smiled at the couple and had them take hands. In just a few short minutes the formalities had been taken care of and the rings hand been exchanged, leaving just one more step. Severus brought his hands up to carefully grasp Lane’s hood, lifting it up and backwards off his lover’s head, though his breath caught in his throat as Lane’s hair was revealed. Once long hair had been turned in a modified mohawk - the sides were shaved but most of the length remained, though Lane had braided his mohawk in a look that much resembled a Viking style. As an added touch, the red head had woven a white ribbon and a black ribbon through the intricate braid, finishing them together at the end in a simple bow. His way of symbolizing their marriage.

“In the very beginning,” Lane told him, taking Severus’ hands in his own and drawing out the wedding just a little longer. “You told me that you didn’t love me because of my looks, because of how I resembled someone else. You told me that you would love me even if I cut all my hair off, or even if I shaved my head bald. This isn’t bald, but it’s certainly something different. I hope you like it.”

Even Lucius seemed to hold his breath, everyone leaning forward ever so slightly as they waited for Severus’ response. No matter how many times the dark haired male had insisted that he wasn’t pretending Lane was Lily (and he wasn’t!), the question would most likely always weigh on their minds.

“I didn’t think it was possible for you to be any more beautiful than you already were, but as always, you continue to surprise me.” And with that, Severus leaned down and claimed his new husband’s lips with his own, sealing their marriage.

Remus wept. Damned hormones.

James handed over a galleon to Sirius, sulking at the fact that he should have known better than to bet against the other male when it came to Remus and his response to the wedding.

Lucius clapped, smiling brightly. Since his seventh year (and Severus’ first) he had been one of Severus’ only friends, even when they only saw each other once or twice since Lucius had graduated. But the sight of his friend so lovingly embracing someone, even if it was another male, made Lucius incredibly happy. All he had ever wanted when it came to Severus was to see his friend happy, and while he had assumed that would have left Severus as a single male, he couldn’t have possibly wished for a better outcome.

Still holding hands, Lane and Severus turned back towards the Ministry official and completed the required paperwork that came with getting married. Severus, momentarily forgetting that the others were still there, found himself unable to resist touching Lane’s new hair, making the red head smile.

“You really like it?” Lane asked, peering up at his husband. Severus nodded, tracing careful fingers along the variety of braids.

“If you’re happy, I’m happy,” he told him. “Hasn’t that always been my motto?”

“Sorry to interrupt, gentlemen,” the official broke in, drawing the newlywed’s attention once more. “But I noticed that you didn’t indicate who would be taking who’s name?”

“We’re not changing our names,” Lane told him, unable to stop smiling. “We decided that it would be easier to keep our names, or at least I would be keeping my last name, so that our children could have my last name. See, Severus is going to be a teacher and no doubt our children will be attending what ever school he chooses to teach at, and we don’t want them to get bullied over being a Professor’s child, or for people to think they’re getting special treatment.” Lane, forever planning the future.

“Oh, you’re planning on having children?”

“Absolutely,” Lane beamed, squeezing Severus’ hand. “Not for a few years, of course, but damn rights I’m going to give him as many babies as he wants.” The official stared at the two for several moments before nodding his head slowly, gently curling the scroll in his hands. He had never known someone to have so much of their future planned, let alone a male, but this was his first same sex marriage and he had no intentions of opening his mouth and inserting his foot.

“Alright, then,” he told them, smiling somewhat awkwardly. “I will take this back to the Ministry and have it processed. Your names should appear on the official register in no longer than seven business days.”

Severus and Lane thanked the man before watching him apparate away, the two then turning back towards their friends. Lane then promptly threw their linked hands in the air, shouting happily.

“We’re married, bitches!”

Remus may have laughed hard enough to wet himself. He was SO done with being pregnant.

*****

Remus sighed happily as he settled into the hot springs a little before dawn the next morning, a protective charm curling itself around his oversize stomach to prevent harm to the baby while Remus soaked sore muscles. He had managed to sneak out of bed without Sirius knowing but was sure his peace and quiet wouldn’t last long - Sirius always woke up after he left, sometimes five minutes after but no longer than 30 minutes. Just long enough for Remus to enjoy the quiet and relax.

The brunette gently swirled his hands in the water, sinking deep enough to allow his shoulders to be completely covered. Carrying a baby was no easy task and he suddenly had a lot more admiration for women.

“There you are.”

Fifteen minutes, Remus mused. Longer than he had predicted, but not long enough, not that he would complain. Opening his eyes and letting his head fall back, Remus smiled as he saw Sirius standing over him.

“Hey handsome,” he spoke softly. “Coming in?”

“Absolutely,” Sirius smiled, rubbing at his eyes as he forced himself to wake up and become more alert. Only clad in his boxers, the dark haired male made no effort to change, slipping into the water and settling himself against Remus’ side. He shared a sleepy kiss with his boyfriend before moving to stroke his stomach as usual, only to have his hand bounce off the charm Remus had used.

“Sorry,” Remus chuckled. “It’s to keep the baby safe while I’m in here. Don’t want to boil them alive or anything.” Sirius opted to simply kiss Remus once more, lingering a little longer this time, his hands roaming lower. The action caused Remus to let out a startled gasp, prompting Sirius to move his lips down his throat.

“We could get caught, Pads…”

“I’ve been dying to get my hands on you for three weeks,” Sirius responded, tugging on Remus’ hips and coaxing him to sit on his lap. It wasn’t hard for him to feel Sirius’ erection pressing against him, making him squirm a little.

“Pads…”

“We’ll be quiet, no one will know,” Sirius promised, rocking his hips up against his lover. Remus groaned, shifting to properly straddle Sirius’ hips before quickly realizing that such a position wasn’t an option anymore. His stomach had become too large to sit comfortably, let alone for Sirius to shag him.

“Turn around,” Sirius whispered, enjoying the near weightlessness that the water gave and using it to help Remus turn around. This wasn’t their favorite position, but it was going to be one of the easiest. It’s not like they had experience shagging in the water, after all. He pulled Remus tight against his chest and slid his hands down over Remus’ thighs, pressing his erection against his boyfriend’s firm backside.

“We should be quick…” Remus groaned, spreading his legs as he arched his back.

“I’ll use the spells,” Sirius agreed, reaching for the side of the hot springs where he had spotted Remus’ wand. His own wand was still in their tent, forgotten as he wandered the camp in search of his lover.

The spells used for sex weren’t used often but when there was a time crunch they came in handy. Starting with spelling their boxers off and onto the grass, Sirius carefully prepared his lover, making him stretched and ready. Remus moaned none the less, curling his arms back around Sirius’ neck and letting the other boy do all the work.

“Even with the spells, you’re always so bloody tight,” Sirius whispered in Remus’ ear, lifting Remus up enough to position his length against the other boy’s entrance. Water made moving him easier than ever and Sirius loved the sound the smaller male made as he pressed inside.

“Fuck… Pads…”

“I am fucking,” Sirius chuckled, moving his hands to rest on Remus’ hips as he sank himself to the hilt inside him. After getting sex rather regularily during school, the pregnancy had put a damper on things and Sirius was in heaven after three weeks of no touchy.

“Not the time for jokes, you arse,” Remus muttered, rolling his hips in an effort to get Sirius to start thrusting. There would have been a clever come back if a moan hadn’t slipped past Sirius’ lips and he understood the demand. Strong hands moved Remus’ body as though he weighed nothing, building into a steady rhythm as he began bouncing the boy on his lap. Water splashed around them and Sirius braced his feet against the bottom of the hot springs, granting himself better leverage to thrust harder and deeper into the eager body above him.

“Touch yourself, Moony,” he groaned, sad that he wasn’t going to be able to watch Remus bring himself off. He loved watching, and making, him cum, but the belly unfortunately hampered his vision. He made no effort to slow his hips, moaning openly despite his promise to keep quiet.

“I can’t last,” Remus whimpered, his toes curling from the pleasure as he curled his fingers around his cock and stroked himself quickly.

“That’s because you like the idea of getting caught,” came the teasing response, but Sirius had to admit that he wasn’t going to last long either. With careful hands and steady feet, the larger male stood and pulled Remus’ hips tightly against his own, stilling for just a few minutes. He whispered promises that it would all be worth it, turning to face the side of the hot springs and having Remus kneel on the built in bench. Watching his lover rest his chest and arms on the bank while he thrust his hips back against Sirius made Sirius bite his bottom lip. He slid one hand over Remus’ bare back while the other gripped his hip, resuming the fast thrusts he had been building up to.

“I can fuck you so much deeper this way,” he groaned, releasing his bottom lip and thrusting forward eagerly, sheathing himself inside Remus over and over. There were no more words coming from his lover, only restrained moans, though those quickly rose in volume as Sirius curled his arm around Remus and started stroking him roughly.

They came together only a minute or two later, Sirius pressing deeply inside his boyfriend as he flooded Remus’ eager body with his seed. His thumb swiped across Remus’ aching tip, coaxing him to cum as well, his seed shooting into the perfectly heated waters. Hips jerking lightly, Sirius leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss between Remus’ shoulderblades, panting against the damp skin.

“We just made a mess in this carefully built pond,” Remus groaned, hips squirming from the pleasure.

“Lane can send us a cleaning bill,” Sirius grinned, pressing his hips forward in an effort to keep himself inside Remus as long as possible but soon enough he slipped free. His hands quickly caught Remus’ hips before they could sink back into the water.

“No no, not yet love,” he licked his lips.

“My knees are starting to hurt,” Remus tried to protest. Sirius moved his hands along Remus’ backside, pulling him open as he watched his seed begin to ooze out.

“I can’t pass up this chance.” Sirius left no option to protest as he leaned forward, swiping the wide, flat part of his tongue against Remus’ already overly sensitive hole. The brunette gasped, hips wiggling, but he didn’t try and pull away. It wasn’t often that Sirius indulged in this little fetish of his and Remus wasn’t about to push him away. His spent length gave a half-hearted twitch as Sirius’ tongue wormed its way inside him, his entrance still a bit loose. The muscles in his thighs trembled lightly as Sirius stroked them and he wondered if the actions were going to result in him getting hard again. They were young and had amazing stamina, but pregnancy did weird things to ones body.

Sirius smacked his lips as he pulled back, using his thumbs to spread Remus’ open just a little more as he observed his handiwork. Deeming the little pink hole sufficiently clean, Sirius gently eased Remus off his knees and settled him on the bench.

“We should really put our pants back on, Pads,” Remus sighed, looking around for his wand with a small frown. “We were way too loud, no doubt someone heard us.”

“James will probably just be jealous,” Sirius laughed. “He’s the only one here without someone to shag.” He plucked Remus’ wand from where it was floating in the water, spelling their shorts back in place.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Lane and Severus haven’t actually gone to sleep yet. Lane sounds like an absolute sex fiend and you can’t tell me that the wedding night doesn’t make it more exciting.” Both males laughed, relaxing into the water and allowing themselves to catch their breath.


	7. Chapter 7

True to Remus’ assumptions, Severus and Lane had yet to go to sleep. The newlyweds were sprawled on the couch, fire crackling in the built-in fireplace the tent came equipped with, both completely naked. Lane was nestled on Severus’ chest, hips falling between the other male’s spread legs as they basked in the afterglow of their most recent round of lovemaking. Severus absently trailed his fingers over the shaved sides of Lane’s head, loving the sensation the tiny hairs created against his calloused fingertips.

“What are you thinking about, husband?” Lane’s voice was soft, partially because of the early hour (not that anyone could hear them) and partially from overuse the night before. He didn’t think he was ever going to get sick of calling Severus his husband, the word feeling so natural on his tongue.

“Nothing of critical importance,” Severus smiled lazily, his eyes closed. “Just thinking about our life together… and how you told the Ministry official that you wanted to have babies with me.” Lane frowned, lifting his head off of Severus’ chest from where he had been listening to his heartbeat.

“Do you not want kids?”

“I haven’t really decided, honestly,” Severus answered honestly, opening his eyes to view his husband. “My upbringing was far from good, and I’m not sure I would be any good at being a parent.” Lane’s facial expressions softened and he nodded in understanding, sliding his hands over Severus’ chest.

“I understand, love. We don’t have to figure it out right now. We’ll just focus on our new jobs and getting you a position teaching at Hogwarts.”

“You’re quite sure about me teaching, aren’t you?”

“I know your outlook on life is a lot more guarded,” Lane smiled, shuffling so he can slide his fingers into Severus’ shaggy black hair, tugging gently in the way he knew the other man liked it. “I’m the optimistic one who balances everything out.” Severus couldn’t argue that Lane was a lot more optimistic than he himself had ever been but he wasn’t going to complain about it. 

“All our friends are no doubt going to have babies, I mean, Remus is already pregnant, and if we end up not having any kids… that’s okay with me.” Lane settled himself back down against Severus’ chest, letting out a soft sigh.

“Truly?”

“I don’t lie to you, Sev. I will never lie to you, and that’s a promise. Our marriage, our whole relationship, is built on our ability to be open and honest with one another.” He turned his head just enough to press a kiss to Severus’ chest, smiling against the pale skin he found.

The two laid together for a while longer before hunger prompted them to get up and get dressed, Lane wiggling into a pair of jeans and a baggy zip up hoodie that bore the Hufflepuff crest on the back. Severus felt his eyebrows lift, just for a moment, as he took note that his husband hadn’t bothered to put on any underpants. How interesting.

“Morning newlyweds!” Remus called from where he and Sirius sat near the campfire, Sirius cooking breakfast for the camp. Lane waved, smiling despite the fatigue that was slowly creeping into his body.

“No James?”

“It’s still early, especially for Prongs,” Sirius chuckled, flicking his wand at the frying pans that contained eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns, giving all the vessels a little shake to prevent food from sticking.

“Have you two even slept?” Remus blatantly asked, smirking at the red head as he motioned Lane’s hair and how the braids were loose but not properly undone. Lane blushed in response and shook his head with a shy smile, lifting a hand to begin working the braids out of his hair.

“I should have placed a bet, I totally called it.”

“Have you tried out the hot springs yet?” Severus glanced between the fire and the body of water that was gently steaming in the cool early morning air. His body ached from the escapades the night before and he found himself contemplating a long soak, preferably with a good book.

“The water is absolutely perfect,” Sirius told him. “Moony and I were up early and took advantage of being alone. There’s something stupidly exciting about skinny dipping in a place you could easily be caught.”

“You had sex in the pool.” The look on Severus’ face was less than impressed and only served to make Lane burst into giggles. Remus blushed so intensely that Sirius wondered if his boyfriend was going to spontaneously combust, reaching over to pat Remus’ shoulder.

“I swear I cast a purification spell after we got out!” Remus tried to defend their actions, making Lane laugh harder. It took him nearly a minute before he was able to catch his breath, clutching the arms of the camp chair he had settled in.

“Not going to lie, I’m eager to try that out as well,” he grinned. Severus groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Always so forward, my husband,” he sighed.

“Lane just has more experience than you, that’s all,” Sirius shrugged. “Everyone is different, especially when it comes to sex, and we all have different likes and dislikes. Lane has more experience and is most likely a lot more adventurous. Though you obviously do something he likes or else he wouldn’t have married you.”

“Judging by the grin on Lane’s face, I’d say you hit the nail on the head, Pads,” Remus laughed. “My money’s on stamina.”

“I vote for epic oral skills,” Sirius chimed in, wiggling his tongue at the other couple with an amused look on his face.

“What are we betting on?” James stumbled out of his tent, hair more ruffled than usual, blinking in the sunlight as he caught the last bits of the conversation. Severus groaned and buried his face in his hands, wondering why he was allowing this sort of conversation to continue. It was only because of Lane that he was even participating in the conversation, as well as the desire to eat breakfast.

“We’re wondering what sort of sexual skill made Lane marry Severus when the two of them are so very different in bed,” Sirius filled him in.

“Easy,” James shrugged, flopping down into a chair. “Huge dick.” Remus and Sirius’ heads swiveled to stare at Lane and Severus, though the dark haired male hadn’t bothered to lift his head. When Lane smiled shyly and bit his bottom lip, lifting his hands to show how ample his husband’s length was, the three other boys burst into hoots and hollers. Breakfast was nearly forgotten as the three pestered Lane for more information, leaving Severus to serve himself and head back to his tent.

When Lane joined him thirty minutes later, the red head was looking somewhat uncomfortable, running his fingers through his bushy hair - sleeping in braids causes very interesting hairstyles, especially when one is sporting a mohawk.

“Sev? Are you mad at me?” he asked quietly, moving to the far side of the tent where the custom designed potions lab was nestled. His lover has his back to him, working away on a potion that smelled vaguely of mint, though Severus glanced over his shoulder as Lane approached.

“Hazards of marrying you,” he told him. “I knew you were more experienced, of course. And I knew you were becoming very close with the other boys, and friends tend to talk openly about sexual things.”

“You didn’t answer the question, Sev.”

“I’m not mad at you, Lane.”

“Did I hurt you?”

“No, you didn’t hurt me. I’m just far less open about such things. You’re my only experience with sex, after all.”

“Do you… want to talk about my past? Are you interested in knowing?” Lane looked unsure about the offer he was making. While he wasn’t ashamed of his experience, he worried that Severus would feel inadequate compared to Lane’s more experienced lovers. Severus paused for a moment, hands hovering over the cauldron as he considered what Lane was offering. When his lover told him to pay attention to the potion, so he wouldn’t ruin it, Severus couldn’t help but chuckle. They were in the middle of a serious conversation and yet their passion for potion making still took center stage.

“Yes love, thank you,” he smiled, though the smile went unseen by Lane seeing as he was once more facing away from his husband. Lane quietly informed him that he was going to go sit by the fireplace, if Severus wanted to talk, before doing just that. His bulky hoodie, one of his favorite things, was discarded in exchange for a thin, long sleeve shirt - yellow with a stripe down each arm. Lane truly was a Hufflepuff, through and through, even if the color yellow really didn’t go well with his red hair.

Lane picked up one of the books they had brought with them, curling his legs under himself as he opened it to where his bookmark sat. He wasn’t sure which potion Severus was brewing and thus didn’t know when he would be finished, opting to occupy himself in other ways. His mind ticked over ways he would talk about his past, considering moving the conversation out to the hot springs. Neither he or Severus had slept in roughly twenty four hours, though, and Lane wondered if perhaps they should have a nap instead.

The nap won out. Lane hadn’t realized he had fallen asleep until he felt Severus gather him up off the couch. He tried to protest, only to be shushed by the other man. A few steps to the other side of the tent brought them to their bed and Severus laid Lane out on the mattress before crawling in with him.

Sleep first, talk later.

*****

Lunch, camping games, a group swim, dinner, and lots of laughter made up the rest of the day. Soon enough everyone said their goodnights and James, Remus, and Sirius retired to their tents. Lane laced his fingers with Severus’ and tugged him towards the hot springs, giving his hips a playful wiggle.

“You want to skinny dip, like Lupin and Black, don’t you?” Severus asked, rolling his eyes with a small smile.

“Damn rights I do,” was Lane’s response, the two moving as far away from the tents as possible, though the action was more for Severus’ peace of mind than anything. When Lane started removing layers, Severus heaved a large sigh and decided to do the same. Might as well humor his husband.

“I believe I read somewhere that sex in hot water wasn’t exactly healthy,” he said as he stripped, noting that Lane had gotten naked much faster and was already getting into the water.

“We aren’t having sex, Sev,” Lane held out a hand, beckoning Severus to join him.

“Then what’s the point of being naked?”

“Being naked doesn’t automatically mean sex,” the red head chuckled, smiling as Severus took his hand and stepped into the hot springs. “I’m comfortable in my own skin, and being naked, so it’s going to be something you’ll have to get used to.” Severus huffed a little and sat close to his husband, his mood improving as Lane snuggled closer to him.

“I want to talk about our conversation this morning, before we took a nap,” Lane said as he laced the fingers of one hand with Severus’, giving a gentle squeeze.

“I have been pondering this,” the other man admitted, returning the squeeze. “I’m just not sure how I feel about knowing that you slept with other people.”

“Not everyone can be patient enough to wait for ‘the one’ to come into their lives, Sev,” Lane sighed, twisting a little to face his husband. “I’m certainly not that person, and I was that person when we first met… and honestly, right up to christmas when we first kissed. That was when I knew that we were going to be more than friends and I sent an owl that very night and told my fuck buddy that when I got back to school he would have to keep his hands off me.”

“You did?”

“Yes, love. And that’s probably a bit sappy, or weird, but it’s the truth. There has never been a time that I have lied to you, and there never will be.”

Severus leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Lane’s lips, lifting a wet hand to gently stroke his cheek. Lingering for only a moment, the two broke apart and rested their foreheads together, green eyes meeting dark brown.

“I’m ready to hear it all, now.”

Lane reached for his wand and transfigured the bench they were sitting on into a much more comfortable seating arrangement, something more like a lounge chair, where Severus could hold Lane against his chest, his knees resting against the other boy’s hips. Taking a deep breath, Lane began his story,

“I lost my virginity in fifth year, to a seventh year boy in my house. He was interested in me right from the very start of that year, maybe he had been waiting for me to be a somewhat decent age, but I think because he was graduating he opted to ask me out. Well, it wasn’t really a date or anything, or even a relationship, and I knew that going into it. I really didn’t care. But we still went slow.”

Lane swished his hands in the water as he spoke, enjoying the feel of Severus’ arms wrapped around his waist.

“It started with kissing, and then groping, and some oral, and then actual sex. And the sex didn’t even happen for over a month, which is relatively slow for a pair of horny teenagers if I’m being honest. But the things we got up to…”

He had to pause, the memories washing over him and making him smile. Letting his head fall back against Severus’ shoulder, he nuzzled his nose behind his husband’s ear.

“Did… did you want me to tell you about positions and stuff, or are you only wanting to know the basics and number of guys I’ve done things with?” Severus thought about this, tilting his head to the side and enjoying the sensation.

“Is it weird if I say yes to both?”

“Two guys, before you,” Lane answered the easier question first, lowering his hands and resting his arms on top of Severus’. “But as I warned you in the beginning, I’ve done quite a few sexual things.”

“I’ve been doing some reading about sex moves,” Severus offered, but Lane only smiled and twisted properly, kissing him once more.

“I love everything we’ve done and I know I’ll love everything we do, even if we don’t do the same things I did with the other boys.”

Severus smiled, returning the kiss.

“Our sex isn’t boring?”

“Sev, I sucked you off in every possible classroom in Hogwarts, among other things. Our sex isn’t boring, and that isn’t just because you have a huge dick. Though… that’s a huge bonus.” Lane licked his lips, turning and kneeling between Severus’ knees as he leaned over his lover and pressed close, initiating another kiss. The subject of the specific sexual adventures that Lane went on was lost as the two moved against one another.


	8. Chapter 8

Lane sipped his tea as he watched Sirius scurry back and forth, the dark haired male wringing his hands. James sat in another chair, rolling his eyes at the near-frantic male in front of them.

“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor, idiot,” he teased, attempting to ease the mood but the comments barely penetrated Sirius’ nervous mind. Lane opted to throw a cookie at the pacing male, making Sirius jump and nearly trip over the coffee table.

“You need to calm down, Sirius,” he told his friend. “Sit with us, have some tea, take deep breaths.”

“I am calm!” Sirius snapped, making both James and Lane glance at one another.

“The Healer won’t let you in the room if she thinks you’re going to stress Remus out,” Lane pointed out, his gaze drifting to the closed bedroom door and then back to Sirius. “I should have thought to being a calming draught, but I figured the Healer would have such things covered. Severus is going to mock me for weeks.”

“I can’t believe this is already happening,” Jame commented, smiling over the rim of his cup of tea.

“Remus is beyond excited that he made it this far,” Lane added. “It was a combination of ‘Holy fuck I’m done being pregnant’ and ‘Dear sweet Merlin don’t let me have this baby on Christmas’, really.”

“Mr. Black?” The Healer opened the bedroom door with a smile, waving Sirius inside. “It’s time.” Lane and James bid their friend good luck and watched Sirius vanish into the room, the door clicking closed quietly behind him.

“So… how does this work, again?”

“It’s just a magical c-section,” Lane shrugged, not at all nervous. He was probably the only one in the flat at this time who wasn’t panicking, aside from the Healer. Part of him was bothered by the fact that Lily hadn’t opted to attend, not to mention Peter. He hadn’t seen Peter since graduation and he wondered if the group of four had ended up having some sort of fight.

“Oh, where they just cut the baby out?” James asked and Lane nodded.

“It takes very little time and thanks to magic, it’s completely painless. Though male pregnancy is much more rare and I’m not sure how different the internal organs are…” Lane’s words trailed off as he found himself pondering such things, absently touching a hand to his stomach. There was still plenty of time for him to do even more research into the topic.

As the house grew quiet for what felt like an impossibly long time, though was probably less than fifteen minutes, a tiny cry filled the air. James and Lane immediately grinned at one another before moving to their feet and approaching the bedroom door, staying outside as they had been instructed but waiting impatiently for news. It didn’t take Sirius all that long to open the door, beaming at his friends.

“Come meet the newest member of the Lupin family,” he spoke softly, stepping back to allow his friends into the room. The Healer had moved away from the bed when Lane and James arrived, monitoring her patient from a small distance so the exhausted male could greet his friends.

Held against Remus’ chest and wrapped so securely in a fuzzy blue blanket so that all that was visible was a smooshed face and light brown hair was the eagerly anticipated baby Lupin.

“I want you to meet our son, Axel.” It wasn’t humanly possible for Sirius to smile any harder than he already was, though as he spoke the words he could feel tears of happiness welling in his eyes. James clapped his best friend on the back with a grin before hugging Sirius tightly, leaving Lane to approach Remus.

“That’s a pretty normal name for the two of you,” the red head teased, peering down at the tiny face bundled so carefully in the blanket. Remus offered a tired smile.

“Sirius picked it out, though it probably had something to do with him working at the magical vehicles shop.”

“I’m so happy for the two of you, Remus,” Lane smiled, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to the top of Remus’ head. “I’m going to head home and tell Severus the good news, but you can owl or fire call or floo in at any time, don’t forget that. I know Sirius has to go back to work soon.” Remus nodded, stifling a sigh. Someone in their house needed to make money, even if Sirius had inherited a small sum from an uncle he had never heard of - that had been quite the surprising owl and had been enough to get them a small flat close to Sirius’ job.

Lane shared a congratulatory hug with Sirius before excusing himself from the home, trusting James to linger and take care of anything the tired couple needed.

January 1st was a great day to be born.

*****

“You realize that they got married so quickly because Lily is pregnant.” Severus’ tone was calm and measured as he sipped his drink and watched everyone gather around the newly married James and Lily Potter. He had only attended because his husband had made impressive promises, even though it was of Severus’ opinion that Lane shouldn’t have come at all.

“I figured,” the red head nodded, curling his arms around Severus’ free arm, resting his head on the other man’s shoulder.

“I still don’t understand why you came. She never came to our wedding.”

“Well, I’m friends with James, not Lily.”

“And she is supposedly my friend, and still did not attend.” Severus wasn’t bitter, don’t be silly. He knew he had been losing his friendship with Lily the day she had met James but he hadn’t expected her to completely cut him out of her life.

“We could go accept cake from them and make things even more awkward,” Lane offered, smiling sweetly. Severus chuckled, turning and kissing Lane’s forehead.

“I appreciate the effort, love, but I think it’s time for us to turn in for the night. We both have work in the morning and things are getting busy in the shops.” Lane nodded, turning his eyes back towards James and Lily and taking a few more moments to appreciate them. A part of him wondered if this was what adulthood was all about - growing apart from your friends as they get married and have kids.

“Time to go,” Severus said quietly, moving to his feet and offering a hand out to Lane. His husband smiled and accepted the hand, moving to his feet as well. A quick glance at Lily made him smile, loving the sight of his sister in her beautiful white dress.

Though the moment was quickly ruined when Lily suddenly vomited all over herself. And James. And the cake.

“That would be the so called ‘morning’ sickness,” Severus commented, guiding Lane away from the scene.

*****

Lane lifted his head from his book when the enchanted bells above the fireplace jingled, signaling the arrival of someone via the floo. His eyebrows lifted as Lucius Malfoy stepped out of the flames, though a smile quickly followed.

“Lucius! What a surprise!” Setting his book to the side, Lane quickly got to his feet to greet his guest. Lucius smiled kindly, taking Lane’s hand and pressing a soft kiss to the back of it.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Lane. It’s been much too long.” Lane giggled, stepping back and motioning towards the small living room.

“Please, have a seat. I’ll make some tea and let Severus know that you’re here.”

Lucius smiled and thanked him, taking a seat on the couch and looking around the flat. It wasn’t anything spectacular but it was warm and welcoming, no doubt Lane’s doing. He had a feeling that if Severus was living alone, the apartment would be far less homey.

“Lucius, welcome to our home,” Severus smiled as he stepped out of the second bedroom turned potions lab, wiping his hands on the apron he wore. Lucius moved to his feet and shook hands with his friend before he and Severus sat down. Lane came in not long after, setting down a tray of tea and a plate of cookies.

“You’ve certainly made yourselves quite the little home here,” Lucius told them, accepting a cup of tea. “I never expected Severus to live in anything resembling an actual home. I always envisioned you sleeping on a cot in the corner of a potions lab, honestly.”

“Lane makes me sleep in the bed,” Severus admitted, taking his own cup of tea.

“I’m the social one,” Lane shrugged with a smile. “But they say opposites attract, and I won’t fight that.” Turning more to face Lucius, he tilted his head ever so slightly.

“How is Narcissa doing? Is she struggling with her pregnancy like Lily?”

“Unfortunately,” Lucius nodded. “But we just found out that we’re going to be having a son.” Lane beamed and clapped his hands happily.

“That’s wonderful!”

“Congratulations, Lucius,” Severus smiled, lifting his mug of tea in celebration before taking a sip. “Have you chosen a name?”

“Narcissa wants to call him Draconis, but I think I’ll call him Draco.”

“Nicknames are common,” Lane nodded. “Especially for people with longer names, like you and Severus, and even Remus has his name shortened every so often. But, I mean, people also gain nicknames that have nothing to do with their given names.”

The conversation became light and focussed more on Lane and Severus’ apprenticeships in their respective potions shops and their plans for the future. But soon enough Lucius leaned forward and gently took Lane’s hand in his own.

“Would it be too rude of me to ask if I could have some time alone with Severus?” he asked, his voice soft and kind. While he and Lane hadn’t been friends for all that long, there was just something about the red head that Lucius found endearing and he could see how Severus had fallen for this other man.

“Of course, it’s no trouble at all. I’ll go see if Remus needs a hand with Axel.” Opting to take the cookies with him, Lane wrapped up the plate and headed off through the floo, leaving Severus to sit with Lucius in silence for several minutes. Clearly Lucius had something he needed to talk to him about and it must have been important, judging by how the blonde seemed to be collecting his thoughts. Severus made no attempt to hurry his friend along, silently sipping on his tea and watching the subtle signs of anxiety that Lucius was presenting.

“I’m getting a divorce,” Lucius said after several more minutes, heaving a sigh after he speaks. Severus frowned, gently setting his tea cup on the table and sitting up a little straighter.

“You haven’t been married all that long, Luc… is it really that bad?”

“It’s been almost five years now,” Lucius told him. “Five years that I’ll never get back. Five years wasted with a woman I only married out of obligation.” Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black were arranged to be married at a young age, as per pureblood tradition, and tied the knot as soon as they had both graduated from Hogwarts.

“You’re expecting a child.”

“Yes, and she wants nothing to do with him.” Lucius slumped back against the couch, allowing himself to lose his preppy, composed complexion in favor of truly showing the stress and anxiety building inside him.

“I’ve had to lock her in her bedroom,” he admitted, running a hand through his long, blonde hair. “And I had to assign a House Elf to watch her at all times.” When Severus frowned once again and leaned forward, Lucius closed his eyes as he recalled the memory.

“She tried to abort the baby. Multiple times. Even this far along, she keeps trying. If it wasn’t for protective magic and my Elf…” Once more the pair lapsed into silence, Severus moving to his feet and walking to the kitchen, selecting a vial of something blue and swirling. Lucius only opened his eyes when Severus gently pressed the vial into his open palm, encouraging his friend to drink.

“Just a calming draught,” he told Lucius, sitting back down once more. “I think you need it, and you know it’s good because I brewed it myself.” Lucius looked at the vial before nodding, pulling the stopper free and downing the potion in one large swallow. Almost immediately the calming effects washed over him, causing his muscles to relax and his heart rate to slow to normal.

“Does she know you’re going to divorce her?”

“No. I can’t keep Draco safe if we’re not married. I plan on divorcing her the moment Draco is born and safely away from her,” Lucius said, taking long, slow, deep breaths.

“Are you sure there isn’t some way to improve things?” Severus knew he was pushing, and it’s not like he had much experience with the situation, having been married for a relatively short time.

“Her family is absolutely insane, Severus.” Lucius’ voice grew solemn and he toyed with the empty vial, unable to meet his friend’s eyes. “I knew it was bad, but I didn’t know just how much. That crazy ass sister of hers has convinced her to join… she took HIS mark, Severus. She joined THEM.” Severus’ eyes widened for just a moment before he quickly composed himself, his heart beginning to beat faster.

“And you…?”

“Never.” His voice firm, Lucius pulled up his sleeves, turning his arms so that Severus could see that he bore no mark of the Dark Lord. Severus was surprised, though he felt guilty for feeling that way, but it was common for the pureblood families to choose the Dark over the Light.

“Sirius Black had the right idea when he fled from that accursed house,” the blonde continued, fixing his sleeves. “There is nothing but evil within those walls, and they welcome it with open arms. I can see past the allure of what my parents raised me to believe, past their hatred for anyone not pureblood, and I can see that I was not a good person.”

“Lucius…”

“I refuse to have my son turn into a vile, bloodline obsessed, Death Eater,” Lucius all but snapped, his anger causing his magic to flare and the glass vial in his hand to crack. Severus moved to his feet and carefully took the vial away before it could shatter.

“I had dreams, Severus. I wanted to be a Healer! But pureblood families don’t have dreams, they have obligations. Get into the Ministry, mingle only with other purebloods, and use your money and power to influence those around you, and not in the right way.” Lucius was fully ranting now, despite the calming draught he had taken. Severus wondered if he had somehow managed to botch the potion, or if Lucius’ rage was indeed so powerful it was overtaking the effects. Granted, it had been a low dose, only a single swallow, but when he had grabbed it from the cupboard Severus hadn’t thought Lucius would need anything stronger.

“I will keep that disgusting excuse of a human being locked away, where she can’t hurt herself or my son, until she gives birth, and then, and ONLY then, will I release her. But not after I secure a divorce and make sure she can never come near Draco ever again.”

Severus contemplated feeding Lucius another dose of the potion but the thought was quickly banished when Lucius sprung to his feet without warning, almost startling the dark haired man.

“Do you have any alcohol in the house?” It was supposed to be a simple question but came out as more of a demand. Severus eyed his friend before nodding, motioning into the kitchen.

“There’s a cupboard beside the refrigerator,” he told the blonde. “Please, help yourself.” And help himself he did, Lucius bypassing any cups, ice, or mixing ingredients to simply take several large swallows from the bottle itself. He and Lane kept very little in the way of alcohol, neither really having much interest, but sometimes it was handy when one had guests. Severus opted to continue drinking tea, keeping a close eye on his friend. It seemed like this was going to be a night of ranting and drinking, for one of them at least. Lucius was sure to regret this in the morning.


	9. Chapter 9

The next major event in the lives of Severus and Lane came when Lucius announced the birth of his much anticipated son (aka heir), Draco. Followed by a PS stating that Lucius had officially divorced Narcissa, something that brought him nearly as much joy as Draco did. The affluent blonde would be hiring a nanny to live in the manor, helping with Draco when Lucius was busy working. Luckily a lot his his work could be done from home, though it felt weird to picture the high and mighty Lucius Malfoy as a single father. Lane suggested introducing Lucius to Remus and Sirius a bit more officially, seeing as they both had kids now, even if Axel was a year older than Draco.

Less than two months later came the announcement of one Harry James Potter, Lane’s hand immediately drifting towards his stomach. Thankfully Severus wasn’t home at the time of the letter and didn’t have to witness his husband thinking about having babies. Lane was the last of their little group to not have a child, even if they were still quite young, and there was a part of him that was feeling somewhat left out.

Male pregnancy was… complicated, to say the least. The couple’s magical energy had to line up in just the right way and there had to be a significant bond between the two before said magic would alter the submissive male’s body and prepare it to carry a child. Lane knew all this, his research when Remus had gotten pregnant had been quite extensive, but there was still a part of his brain that wondered why he had yet to fall pregnant. He and Severus loved one another a great deal, after all, so was there something else wrong with them? Was it because he had been born to Muggle parents?

On the flip side of things, Lane and Severus found themselves recruited into the Order of the Phoenix, offering up their strong, capable bodies in the fight against the Dark Lord. They may have graduated and gotten married, and their friends may have been having babies (and also getting married), but that didn’t mean the war didn’t exist.

They had been provided the chance to opt out, as it were, Dumbledor teaching them about the Weasley family and how Molly and Arthur had opted not to pick a side, instead hiding their growing family away. It had been a no-brainer for the talented potions makers, both immediately volunteering for the cause.

That was how they met Frank and Alice Longbottom, and their own newborn son Neville. Lane immediately found himself liking the somewhat older couple, happy to gain new friends. Of course, true to his word in the very beginning, Severus associated with whomever Lane told him to.

*****

Lane stared at the three different potions that sat on the bathroom counter, the red head sitting on the edge of his large bath tub as he watched the third and final one turn from clear to green. He had the day off from work and, after much soul searching, and a lot of tea, he had peed in the potion beaker three different times. The results had all been the same - green. Positive.

“Well, that accounts for the weight I thought I was gaining,” he muttered to himself, sliding a hand down to rest on the small bulge that graced his stomach. Standing and stretching his arms above his head, Lane poured the tests down and sink, chasing the remains with water before moving the beakers to the kitchen sink to be properly cleaned. A glance at the kitchen clock told him that Severus would be home in less than an hour, giving Lane time to make something for dinner.

True to his prediction, Severus came through the floo forty five minutes later, smiling as he saw his husband in the kitchen.

“Something smells amazing,” he said, taking his shoes off beside the fireplace and pushing his feet into his favorite slippers.

“Beef wellington, peas, and carrots,” Lane grinned, coming around the kitchen counter to embrace his husband, sharing a soft kiss.

“You made beef wellington?” Severus asked, looking somewhat surprised. While Lane was known for being good at baking, his cooking skills were somewhat average. Perhaps it was the pastry aspect of beef wellington that made him feel ambitious.

“Hell yes, from scratch, because I am an absolutely amazing husband,” Lane preened, pulling Severus down for another kiss.

“Mmm, that you are…”

“And I’m going to be a wonderful father, too…” Lane let his words seep into Severus’ mind, watching the taller male process the information he had been given. First it was confusion, and then realization, followed by full on surprise.

“Are you telling me that you’re pregnant?” Severus could barely whisper the words, feeling his heart begin to race. Lane nodded, smiling brightly as he took one of Severus’ hands and guided it to his stomach.

“I thought I was getting fat, but I took a test anyways,” he told him, his own heart fluttering. “I took three tests, actually. And I owled St. Mungo’s to set up an appointment with a Healer.” Severus was absolutely stunned, feeling himself sink down to his knees as he pushed at the hem of Lane’s shirt, exposing the small bump he had felt.

“Are you okay with this?” Lane asked softly, running his fingers through Severus’ shaggy hair. His smiled widened when he felt Severus nod against his stomach and his heart jumped a little. They hadn’t talked about having kids in several months, mostly because they were so busy with their apprenticeships, so Lane hadn’t been sure how Severus would take the news.

“I want to go to St. Mungo’s with you,” Severus declared, looking up from where he was kneeling in front of Lane. “Every appointment. I want to know everything.” Lane smiled and nodded, crouching down and embracing Severus tightly, nearly knocking the other man over.

******

Lane couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable as he apparated to the front steps of St. Mungo’s, his husband having not yet arrived from work. He knew he had Severus’ full support in regards to the pregnancy but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t nervous. Taking a deep breath, Lane made his way inside and checked in for his appointment. The witch running the front desk smiled and pointed him towards the waiting area, not even batting an eyelash at the fact that he was seeing someone in regards to pregnancy.

“Oh, Lane!” Alice Longbottom smiled as she made her way over to the red head, Neville sleeping in her arms. Lane smiled in return, pausing in his trek to the waiting area to greet his new friend and her adorable son.

“Alice, how nice to see you again,” he said, refraining from cooing over the sleeping baby. “Is everything alright with Neville?”

“Just a standard check up, nothing to worry about,” Alice assured him, rocking gently. “What about you? No potions mishaps, I hope?”

“Nope, not this time,” Lane said with a shy smile. “I’m actually here to confirm a pregnancy.” The look of surprise on Alice’s face gave him momentary anxiety but it quickly faded away when Alice beamed at him.

“Oh Lane! Congratulations!” Careful of Neville in her arms, Alice hugged the younger boy, her smile never fading.

“Already spreading the news before it’s confirmed by a Healer, I see.” Severus had stepped into the lobby just in time to see the small celebration, a small smile gracing his features. Alice immediately moved to hug him as well, despite Severus very much not being a hugging type person.

“I’m so happy for the two of you,” she told the two, loving how Severus wound his arm around Lane’s waist and splayed a hand over Lane’s still (mostly) flat stomach. “I can’t wait to have you and baby over to play with Neville.”

“Mr. Evans? The Healer will see you now.” Severus was grateful for the excuse to leave the conversation, he and Lane bidding farewell to Alice before following the front desk witch to the examination room.

“Good afternoon Mr. Evans,” the Healer smiled, nodding at Severus as well. “And this is…”

“Severus Snape, my husband,” Lane smiled as well, taking a seat on the provided bed. The Healer shook hands with Severus before taking a seat on a stool beside the bed.

“You’re the same Healer that attended Remus Lupin’s birth, aren’t you?”

“Indeed I am. I’m the only Healer trained in male pregnancy at this time, but considering how the world is shifting in regards to same sex partners, I think that will be changing.” The woman had Lane lay down on the bed, gently lifting his shirt up to expose his lightly bulging stomach.

“Goodness, do you know how far along you are? You’re kind of already showing.”

“Not really,” Lane chuckled. “We’re the kind of couple who shags as often as humanly possible, only leaving just enough time to eat, sleep, and work.” The Healer outright laughed, enjoying Lane’s boldness and especially enjoying the blush on Severus’ face.

“Well, judging by your little belly there, I’m thinking you’re about three months along.” Lifting her wand, the Healer cast the needed diagnostic spells. Severus and Lane gazed at the shimmering image that formed itself above Lane’s stomach. The men had never seen such a thing before and didn’t know what they were looking at but the Healer’s eyebrows lifted.

“Well then, I was wrong, but I can see how I could make that mistake,” she told them. “You’re only three months along, so you shouldn’t really be showing this much. But given your family history, we should have known that this was a possibility.” Seeing the confusion on Lane and Severus’ faces, the Healer smiled.

“You’re having twins, that’s why you’re already showing so much.” Lane grinned, gazing at the projection of his unborn children.

“Twins,” Severus repeated, glancing between the projection and his husband’s face, seeing the look of pure bliss Lane was sporting. While he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Lane, and to have children with him, the idea of becoming a father was still a bit terrifying. He worried that he was going to be a terrible father, just like his own dad, or that he wouldn’t be able to provide for his family. What if his apprenticeship didn’t lead to a solid job? While Lane could only romanticize the future, Severus found himself only able to worry.


	10. Chapter 10

“Are you sure you should be here tonight, Lane?” Remus let his eyes roam over his friend’s incredibly pregnant frame, watching as Lane waddled around the room. They were attending a regular meeting of the Order of the Phoenix but most had been surprised to see Lane attending even though pregnant.

“I’m not a bloody invalid, Remus,” the red head almost snapped, making Remus flinch a little. Severus set a hand on his husband’s shoulder, rubbing gently.

“You know he doesn’t mean it,” he told Remus. “He’s due any day now and I think he’s getting a little agitated.” Remus nodded, remembering how he had been when his due date had come and gone, leaving him a full two weeks overdue before his body finally surrendered and he went into labor.

“I guess the emotional instability brought on by pregnancy run in the family,” James teased, moving to find himself a seat at the long, rectangular table the Order was set to gether around. Lane glared at his brother-in-law and took his own seat, groaning as he eased himself down into a chair.

Missing from the usual members who attended Order meetings were Sirius and Lily, the two watching their children in Lily and James’ brand new home in Godric’s Hollow. Also missing, though he hadn’t been around all that often in the first place, was Peter. When he had been seen, the pudgy male had seemed happier than ever, even if he was more often than not silent during the meetings.

Albus Dumbledor headed up the meeting, speaking in grave tones and reminding his members to keep themselves and their families safe. They discussed the movements of the Death Eaters, the inside information about Voldemort’s plan, as well as the newest search grid the Order members would follow as they hunted down the offenders.

As Dumbledor moved to dismiss the members, a patronus materialized in the middle of the table, a doe pawing at the wood. Lily’s patronus.

Immediately people were moving, members jumping to their feet - one of their own was in danger! Lane struggled to stand, only to feel a firm hand on his shoulder, forcing him to sit back down. Severus shook his head, telling his husband to stay where he was safe. Lane tried to protest but there was no point in arguing, he knew he was much too pregnant to do anything other than sit and wait while the others rushed to the aid of Lily (and presumably Sirius).

Frank opted to stay with Lane, helping the red head into the living room and over to a comfortable couch. His wife had also skipped the meeting that evening, staying home with their son. He frowned as he watched Lane stroke his stomach, noting the subtle twitch of Lane’s facial muscles as the younger boy tried to hold back.

“It’s going to be okay,” he smiled kindly, but he didn’t like the way Lane was rubbing his stomach.

“When are you due, again?”

“Mid-November but it’s technically any time, seeing as it’s twins,” Lane sighed. “But I’ve been having false pains for two weeks now. I’m sure it’s just the situation causing fake pains again.” Frank watched his friend for a few minutes before shaking his head. He wanted to suggest going to St. Mungo’s but he knew that Lane wouldn’t make any sort of move until Severus returned.

Severus returned less than an hour later, his somber face making Frank vacate the living room, leaving him to sit with Lane. He crouched in front of the couch where Lane was reclining, resting his hands on his husband’s stomach.

“Is Lily okay?” Lane asked, setting his hands on top of Severus’. “Sirius? Why didn’t they come back with you?”

“Lane…” Severus could feel Lane’s stomach tensing under his touch, making him frown a little, but he couldn’t focus on that just yet. Looking into his husband’s eyes, he delivered the news,

“Lily and Sirius were murdered by Voldemort and his followers, Lane. They’re dead.”

A variety of emotions moved across Lane’s face as he took in what had been said, his fingers tightening on Severus’ hands.

“W-what…?” Lane’s eyes searched Severus’, wanting this to be some sort of sick and cruel joke, but it wasn’t. His heart rate jumped and his breathing went from steady to something almost resembling hyperventilation. Severus moved a little closer, rubbing Lane’s oversize stomach.

“Breathe deep,” he encouraged the smaller male. “In through your nose, out through your mouth.” Lane tried to speak but no words came out, his chest starting to heave as hysteria coursed through his system. He wanted to ask about the kids, wondering if Axel and Harry were alright, but his brain couldn’t make the words come out.

“I think he’s in labor,” Frank commented from the entry to the living room, not wanting to interrupt but also not wanting to let Lane’s pain progress any longer. The red head had been able to hide it quite well, but Frank had seen the telltale signs - subtle wincing and muscles tensing as Lane struggled not to let on.

Severus nodded, carefully gathering Lane in his arms with only a mild struggle. He wasn’t physically strong and Lane wasn’t light, not with the weight of his pregnancy. Frank opened the door for them, lifting his wand to ensure their safety as they passed through the magical barrier that kep the house safe and exposed themselves to the outside world. Seeing as one of their own had just been attacked, it was only natural to expect an attack in the Order house as well.

Severus and Frank shared a nod before apparating away, leaving Frank to scan the darkness around him with sharp eyes as he retreated back into the house.

October 31st was an eventful day - Lily Potter and Sirius Black had been killed only two hours before Severus and Lane welcomed their twin boys into the world. Wynn and Tristan Evans entered the world twelve minutes before midnight.

*****

It took several days for the story to come to light, the members of the Order coming together once more to discuss what had happened. No one questioned it when Lane didn’t attend, he had only given birth a few days prior and was expected to take time to recover. Severus was thankful no one asked any deep, probing questions as he hadn’t seen his husband in nearly forty eight hours. He had no idea where Lane was, though he had some suspicions. Lucius had offered to watch the twins while Severus was away, the blonde being the only other person who knew that Lane was missing.

Remus and James sat close together, two year old Axel and one year old Harry sleeping in a crib together nearby. They had no one else to turn to in regards to child care, James not wanting to endanger his aging parents by bringing them into the war, Lily’s parents being Muggles, Remus having no family that wanted anything to do with him, and no one wanting to have any contact with the Black family. No one complained about the children being present.

Clearing his throat, Dumbledor stood from his place at the head of the table and told the story of Sirius and Lily’s final moments. The two had been in Harry’s nursery, putting Axel and Harry to bed for the night, when the attack occurred. Sirius had thrown himself in front of his friend, doing his best to fight back, his actions giving Lily enough time to send her patronus to the Order.

Sirius fell to the killing curse, arms outstretched, begging for mercy, no doubt trying to save his son.

Lily’s body was found in a similar position, protecting Harry until her final breath. There was nothing stronger than a parent’s love for their child and when Voldemort lifted his wand to kill Harry (and because of proximity, the two young boys sharing a crib, Axel), that love was ultimately his downfall.

The Dark Lord’s body had been found on the floor in front of the crib that contained the crying boys.

Whispers passed between the members of the Order, specifically questions regarding the illusive horcruxes that captured Death Eaters had offered up in exchange for their presumed freedom. They still were sentenced to life in Azkaban.

“Two weeks ago I met with Sirius and his brother, Regulus,” Dumbledor told them, his eyes flicking to Remus before looking out over the rest of the members once more. “As most of you know, Regulus Black joined the Death Eaters at the age of sixteen while he still attended Hogwarts. What no one here knows, with the exception of myself and possibly Mr. Lupin, Regulus quickly came to understand that Voldemort and his followers were doing terrible things in order to enact their plans. He had made a grave mistake, but one doesn’t simply walk away from being a Death Eater, and so Regulus made it his mission to obtain information for the Order. He also succeeded in destroying all six of Voldemort’s horcruxes, the final one being destroyed only hours before he and Sirius met with me.”

Remus reached out and took James’ hand in his own, needing to ground himself before his emotions took over. James squeezed his hand in return.

“Voldemort has fallen,” Dumbledor continued. “There are only a few Death Eaters left to round up and soon the war will be over. I encourage each and every one of you to do all you can to aid each other in apprehending the remaining offenders, especially Bellatrix Lestrange. She is the most dangerous of her siblings, and she will be sticking close to Rodolphus and Rabastan.”

Severus asked the question that he knew everyone was asking. How did Voldemort find the Potter house? James and Lily had moved in only a week earlier and only members of the Order knew where they lived.

“If it wasn’t for the fact that he died that night as well,” James spoke softly, squeezing Remus’ hand once again. “Most of you would think that Sirius was the culprit. He was supposed to be our Secret Keeper, after all, but right before we moved Lily and I opted to choose someone else.”

“Peter hasn’t been seen since that conversation,” Remus continued for his friend, blowing out a long breath. “We think he was tortured and murdered for his information.”

“You don’t think he betrayed you?” Dumbledor asked. James shook his head.

“Absolutely not. Peter is one of our closest friends, he has been for over a decade. We named him our Secret Keeper by Sirius’ request, he wanted Peter to feel included in our lives now that we were having a family and growing apart.”

The members remained for some time longer though Severus quietly excused himself, saying that he needed to get home and help Lane with the twins.

Lucius was reading a book on the couch when Severus came through the front door, the blonde jerking a thumb towards the bathroom door.

“How long has he been back?” Severus frowned, removing his shoes and jacket, neatly tucking everything away. Lucius shrugged, quietly closing his book.

“I went into the nursery to check the boys and when I came out I could hear the shower running. It’s been that way for about half an hour and I’m not sure he has any plans of getting out.” Lucius moved to his feet and crossed the room to pat Severus on the shoulder.

“The boys are most likely good for a few more hours, pending the need for a diaper change, so I suggest you have a conversation with your husband,” he told his friend before moving to the fireplace and flooing home, leaving Severus to listen to the hiss of the shower.

Knocking gently, Severus slowly opened the door and stepped inside.

“Lane?”

“Yes, Sev.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Sev.”

“Where have you been?”

“No where important.”

“You’ve been missing for two days, Lane,” Severus sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he spoke to his husband through the shower curtain.

“I’m aware of that.”

“Why won’t you tell me where you’ve been?”

“You don’t need to know,” came the matter of fact response. The shower cut out only seconds later and Lane pulled open the curtain before squeezing water from his long mohawk, smiling at his husband. Severus sighed once more and took a towel from where several hung on the back of the bathroom door, offering it out to Lane.

“Are you sure that you’re okay?” he asked again, wrapping his arms around Lane as the red head stepped out of the shower and into his open embrace.

“I promise. I just needed to grieve.”

*****

Peter Pettigrew’s body was discovered the next day. The young man had indeed been visibly tortured for an extended period of time and had attempted to transform into his Animagus self in an effort to escape. Unfortunately for him, his skull had been bashed in before he could fully change, leaving him in a state of partial transformation. To add insult to injury, rats had began eating his body, burrowing into his stomach and eating his flesh.

Beside the shallow grave he had been left in was a message scrawled in blood, Peter’s blood: I, Peter Pettigrew, betrayed James and Lily Potter and gave their location to Voldemort.

Although obscured by the fact his left arm had been affected by the attempted transformation, looking closely had given the final piece of evidence - the Dark Mark given to all of Voldemort’s followers.

Not only had Remus and James lost their mates, they now mourned the betrayal of someone who they had trusted.


	11. Chapter 11

With peace falling over the wizarding world, witches and wizards began to rebuild their lives and a daily routine became normal. Lane had taken time off from his apprenticeship in order to take care of the twins, leaving Severus as the sole provider for their family. After the birth of his children Severus had been offered an assistant position teaching aside Professor Horace Slughorn. It paid more than his apprenticeship had paid but was less than a full teaching position would offer. Neither Severus nor Lane were complaining.

Valentine’s Day was approaching and Lane, James, and Remus were sitting together in Lane’s living room, the four kids corralled in the area thanks to carefully placed spells. A part of Lane constantly felt ashamed of the fact he still had a lover while James and Remus were still recovering from their loss.

“James has something he wants to ask you,” Remus said suddenly, breaking the silence that had fallen over the three friends. Lane looked up from where Axel had been playing with a tiny plush quaffle, his eyebrows lifting as he saw James nearly upset his tea.

“Remus!” the dark haired man glared. “I haven’t decided to ask him, yet!”

“Too damn bad, Prongs,” Remus glared back. “Shit or get off the pot.”

Lane sipped his tea and waited for James to speak, legs crossed under himself. One of his hands reached out to gently rock the bassinette that sat beside his chair, feeling the urge to rock the twins. He figured he might as well occupy himself while James tried to compose his thoughts.

“James wants a sibling for Harry and wants you to be his surrogate.” Remus was having none of James’ shit, stating the facts bluntly. This time Lane nearly upset his tea, and he certainly choked on it, setting the mug down so he could cough into his hand.

“W-what?!” The red head was still coughing, rubbing a hand against his chest as though that would ease the discomfort. James looked incredibly ashamed, his eyes locked on his lap.

“Lily and I planned on having a big family,” he said quietly, curling his fingers around his tea cup and staring at the liquid within. “I don’t want Harry to grow up alone, like I did. I mean, my parents loved me, I know they did, but being an only child is hard.”

“And you want ME to have your baby?”

“For purely selfish reasons, yes. You’re the closest thing I have to Lily left in my life. You carry her genes, mostly, and Harry would at least look similar enough to his new sibling that no one would question it.” Lane wanted to be angry, especially since he had only given birth a few short months before, but looking at the pain and shame on James’ face made his anger ease.

“I tried to tell him it was going to be an awkward conversation but he wouldn’t listen. He’s been rambling about giving Harry a sibling since Lily died,” Remus said, flicking his wand to bring the teapot to him and adding more tea to his mug.

“I would have to speak with Severus…” Lane said slowly, glancing to where his sons lay sleeping. “And I would absolutely have to consult with a Healer to see if my body could handle getting pregnant again so soon.”

“You can say no, Lane,” James told him, finally lifting his head.

“I can’t give you a firm answer,” Lane admitted. “Part of me wants to say no, especially because I’ve already technically been a surrogate for my sister once before when she pushed me onto Severus. But on the flip side, I can see why you would want it to be me. I have her features, we share the same hair and eye color, and you trust me to carry something so precious as your child.”

James didn’t want to rush him, but Harry was already a year old and he didn’t want too much time to lapse between children.

“I’ll arrange a meeting with Severus,” Lane decided, uncurling his legs and moving to his feet. “We haven’t seen each other since school started and I’ll need special permission to be on the school grounds, though I doubt the Headmaster will say no.”

“Thank you--” James began but Lane shook his head.

“Don’t thank me yet. And don’t get your hopes up.”

*****

Meeting with Severus came only a few days later, Lane smiling as he made his way through the halls in search of his husband’s new office. It was weird to be back in Hogwarts when you were no longer a student and he felt so much taller than the few students he saw wandering around.

It came as no surprise that Severus had an office in the dungeons, not far from the potions classroom. Lane had wondered if he had been given Slughorn’s office but figured that honor wouldn’t come until Slughorn properly retired. The red head knocked on the door, smiling when Severus opened it and holding up the little box of cookies he had brought with him. Severus couldn’t help but smile, stepping aside to allow his husband to enter.

“Mint chocolate fudge,” Lane teased, wiggling the box as he looked around the office. Severus accepted the treats and set the box on his desk in favor of taking Lane into his arms and kissing him deeply, making Lane groan.

“Sevvy…” He had came to have a serious conversation, not to make out like a pair of horny teenagers, but it felt good to have Severus’ hands and mouth on him again. Severus gripped his backside and lifted Lane right off his feet, depositing his husband on his desk and continuing the intense make out session.

It was no surprise to anyone when Lane made it back to his apartment a full hour later than he had predicted, the red head passing it off as having gone to see the Healer after leaving Hogwarts.

James and Remus were once more in his living room, not than Lane minded seeing as they had watched over Wynn and Tristan while he had been away. Both males felt their heads tilt to one side as they saw the hot pink vial of liquid Lane was carrying.

“I assume you come bearing some interesting news,” Remus asked, rocking Axel in his arms. The toddler was fast asleep against his chest, drooling a little.

“Severus agreed, but only once I assured him that James wasn’t going to fuck me in order to get me pregnant,” Lane nodded, brushing soot off himself from where he had came through the floo.

“And the Healer?” James’ question was asked much more softly, and almost carefully, as though he was trying to hold back his excitement.

“I am fully capable of carrying another child but she gave me a fertility potion to increase the chances of conception.” Lane wiggled the vial of neon liquid as he spoke.

“There’s just one awkward part to this and it’s going to involve us begging an extreme favor of you, Remus,” he continued, shifting his hips a little. When Remus motioned for him to continue, Lane felt himself blushing.

“We need you to be a go between. James and I aren’t having sex so that means James needs to jizz in a vial for me and then give you said vial and you’ll then give it to me and I’ll inseminate myself.”

Remus stared at Lane for several moments, pausing in his rocking as he considered this, though there was no other answer he was going to give.

“Of course,” he told them, making James blush and Lane smile. “Are we doing this right now, then?”

“The potion is only good for today, so unless James has any complaints…” James shook his head, getting to his feet and fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Lane directed each of his friends, thankful the kids were down for their naps while they took part in this little adventure.

James sequestered himself in the bathroom and began the task of producing a sperm sample while Lane downed the vial of pink liquid, making a face.

“Bloody hell, it tastes like baby powder. How fucking rude is that.”

Remus chuckled, watching Lane go into his bedroom and begin his own preparations. If someone had told him that he would be spending the afternoon handling his best friend’s sperm and effectively assisting in getting his other best friend pregnant, he would have laughed in that person’s face. And yet here he was, moving between the bathroom and the bedroom, handing over the vial with a small grimace. Lane vanished behind the closed door once more and Remus immediately went to the kitchen sink to wash his hands, hearing James exit the bathroom as he was washing up.

“So… Lily and I really didn’t plan on having Harry, so I don’t know how long I’m supposed to have to wait before I know if Lane is pregnant,” James looked a bit sheepish as he said this, returning to his original place on the couch. Remus shrugged, also sitting down and helping himself to one of the kid’s cookies.

“I didn’t exactly plan mine, either,” he said. “Neither did Lane, so I suppose we wait for Lane to tell you. I’m sure he’s got the answer in his crazy book of male pregnancy.” James chuckled, the comment easing the tension he felt.

Lane emerged from his bedroom not long after, mohawk pulled back into a high ponytail and a somewhat uncomfortable look on his face. When James opened his mouth to comment, Lane simply pointed a finger at him.

“No. Just no. Absolutely nope. I don’t want to talk about it.”

*****

Five weeks later James received an owl containing positive pregnancy test results and a summons to attend the Healer appointment that would determine how many Lane was carrying and when he would be due.

The look on Lane’s face when the Healer announced the red head was carrying not one, not two, but FOUR bundles of life inside him made James legitimately fear for his life. The Healer cleared her throat.

“I suppose there was really no need for that fertility potion I suggest,” she forced a chuckle, moving just out of Lane’s reach, just in case. Her wand ghosted over Lane’s stomach and her smile turned into a frown, making Lane and James frown as well.

“What? What’s wrong?” Lanes heart rate increase showed on the diagnostic spells that floated above his stomach, making the Healer coax him to slow his breathing and calm down. She did this for several minutes before telling the two young males about her findings.

“According to this, you’re carrying two babies sired by one man, and two babies sired by another. I’m assume one set is from your husband, and the other is from Mr. Potter here,” she told them, glancing between the two. “You must have had sex with both relatively close together, possibly even on the same day.”

“Severus is working at Hogwarts,” James frowned.

“Office sex,” Lane admitted, blushing rather intensely. “I didn’t think that I was going to be getting knocked up, by either of you, that day. Then I was given the fertility potion and it just… went from there.” He and James stared at each other before bursting into laughter, the situation just so incredibly outrageous.

*****

“Hard to believe you’re wrapping up your first term of teaching,” Lane smiled, making dinner for his husband for the first time in nearly six months. It had been hard to be away from Severus for that long, especially since the pain of losing Lily and Sirius was still fresh, but they had made it through.

“Horace is writing my assessment as we speak,” Severus said, sinking into his favorite chair and sighing heavily. Teaching had required a lot more energy than he had expected, but he couldn’t truly complain.

“You’re an amazing Potions Master, Sev. I know you’re going to get the job and, well, that means we’re going to be apart again, but I’ll be back to work by September and you’ll be able to come to Hogsmeade and say hi.” Nevermind the fact that Lane had finally regained his desire for sex and it was taking a good amount of will power to stop himself from simply jumping Severus right away.

“I don’t actually have my certification yet,” Severus tried to protest but Lane would have nothing of it, sending a cup of tea floating over to his husband. Dinner consisted of salmon and fresh vegetables, and the slender red head had even baked a cherry pie for dessert.

“Your Master said you were more than capable of achieving it,” Lane reminded him, plating dinner for each of them. “And Slughorn can certify you, which I’m sure he’s about to do.” As he brought the plates of dinner into the living room, opting to forgo their usual habit to eat at the table, Lane suddenly cried out, legs trying to give out under him. Both plates shattered as they hit the floor, released from his hold as the surprising pain made his entire body spasm.

Severus was on his feet in seconds, worry etched on his face as he caught Lane in his arms before the red head could collapse completely. Lane’s hands pressed against his bulging stomach as tears slipped down his cheeks, the smaller male trying to get his legs to support his weight.

“I’m taking you to St. Mungo’s,” Severus spoke, though he wasn’t sure if Lane had heard him, his husband beginning to sob.

“The babies,” Lane’s voice came out as a choked gasp, barely aware of Severus taking him in his arms and rushing through the floo. Had he done something wrong? He had been careful not to do too much lifting, but he had twins to take care of. The Healer had told him that he was strong and healthy, this shouldn’t be happening!

Severus was shouting for help the moment they came through the St. Mungo’s fireplace, feeling Lane’s body starting to go lax in his arms. His husband was going into shock as Severus was directed to pack Lane directly into a pre-prepared room, the taller man setting Lane down on the bed. All he could do was stand back and watch as diagnostic spells were slung and potions were summoned, orders barked and people rushing to obey.

“The boys.” Severus felt a chill race up his spine as he suddenly realized that, in his haste, he had left his twins sleeping in their crib. He spun and bolted from the room, moving through the floo so quickly that he briefly hoped he wouldn’t end up in the wrong fireplace. He had only been gone less than fifteen minutes but that was fifteen minutes longer than he ever wanted his sons to be left alone.

Once he was sure Wynn and Tristan were still sleeping soundly, Severus firecalled James and told him there was an emergency with Lane and to bring Harry to the flat. He next firecalled Remus, asking the brunette to come and watch the children while he and James attended to Lane. Remus agreed without hesitation, making Severus pause only long enough to give the other man a tight hug before watching him go through the floo once more. Luckily Axel had no problem being carted around from house to house provided there were toys and snacks available. James had arrived only moments after Severus had left, handing off his son and rushing away as well.

In St. Mungo’s James found Severus in the waiting room and moved to sit down beside him. When he gave the other man a questioning look, Severus simply shrugged his shoulders. There hadn’t been any news yet, not that very much time had passed.

“He just started to collapse,” Severus spoke quietly, staring at the hallway he had packed Lane down only thirty minutes earlier. “He cried out like someone had stabbed him and then he was going down. By the time I got him here he was already going limp.”

“The babies?” James hated to ask but it was the question on both of their minds. Severus admitted that Lane had gripped his stomach in such a way that he assumed the pain was indeed from the pregnancy, making both highly uncomfortable.

One of the Healers approached them nearly an hour after the incident had occurred, making both Severus and James move to their feet. He regarded the two for a moment before assuming they were both family.

“He’s stable now, but we have him sedated for the time being,” he explained, motioning for the two to follow him to the room where Lane was resting. Severus quickly moved to his husband’s side, gently brushing hair from his face.

“He suffered a miscarriage,” the man continued. “One of the children he was carrying suffered a placental rupture and was unfortunately lost.”

“And the other three?” Severus kept his voice low, though he doubted Lane would wake from a sleeping draught anytime soon.

“Healthy, as far as we can tell. For the safety of the remaining three we opted not to remove the lost fetus, but we did contain it in a new placenta of sorts until it can be removed when he gives birth.”

“Can… can you tell us which babies are left?” James felt incredibly selfish asking such a question, but it had been his request for Lane to carry his children that had lead to him having a miscarriage. The Healer nodded, lifting his wand and casting the necessary spell over Lane’s abdomen, calling up the lineage of the remaining three infants.

“There are two from the Potter bloodline, and one from the Snape bloodline,” he told the men, letting the spell fade away. “You can have a few minutes with him before I’ll ask you to leave and let him rest. You can come back and see him tomorrow and we’ll reassess him and see if he can be released.” Severus and James thanked the Healer for his time before they were left alone with Lane’s sleeping body, Severus once more stroking his cheek.

“Severus…” James began, though he was unsure how to proceed. Severus simply nodding in understanding - how could you convey your sorrow when a friend loses a child while at the same time you’re happy that your own children are still thriving. They only had five minutes with Lane before they were sent home, each man returning to their respective flat, James collecting Harry first.


	12. Chapter 12

One week in the hospital later and Lane was released into Severus’ care, though the red head was not in the best of moods. Due to his miscarriage and the chance it could happen again, Lane had been confined to bed rest, something he was not impressed with.

“Severus really tried to stay at home, even though school’s starting?” Remus asked, settling himself on Lane’s couch. Thanks to some handy spellwork, Lane was able to move between the bedroom and the living room without much movement, getting around the ‘bed’ portion of bed rest.

“Oh yes,” Lane sighed, stroking his oversize stomach, already larger than he had been when he had gone full term with the twins. “The only reason he gave up and went to work was because you agreed to move in for a while. Which I appreciate more than I can possibly express, by the way.”

Remus smiled, waving off the compliment with one hand.

“Axel loves being over here, even if he doesn’t really have anyone to play with unless James brings Harry over, or if you convince Lucius to bring Draco,” he told his friend. “Besides, Wynn and Tristan are nearly a year old now and they’re a lot more active. You couldn’t possibly do this alone.”

“No, I really couldn’t, and with me not working for so long… we really needed the money. Though Severus’ certification as a Potions Master and his subsequent promotion to Potions Professor will certainly help.” Lane found himself smiling at the memory of Severus receiving the personalized visit from Horace Slughorn and the surprise and delight on his husband’s face.

“I think Slughorn wanted to retire years ago,” Remus laughed. “He truly adored Severus and his dedication to potions so honestly it was probably a no brainer for him to have Severus take over the classroom.”

“I’ve never seen Severus so happy to be back at school, honestly,” Lane admitted. “He was so happy when we graduated, free of the place he hated so much, and yet here he is, teaching at the very same school.”

“It’s different when you’re a teacher, I assume.” Remus watched as Axel made his way over to Lane’s chair, offering out the drawing he had made for his ‘uncle’ with a big smile. The boy was three now and certainly gave Remus a run for his money when it came to keeping up with the wavy haired child. There were still days where looking at his son made Remus’ heart ache, wishing desperately that Sirius was here to see their son grow up, but that was never going to happen.

“My boss is trying to lure me back to work as soon as I give birth,” Lane was saying, making Remus flush a little as he realized he hadn’t been paying attention.

“Sorry?”

“He’s offering to let me take over the shop,” Lane continued. “I would have complete control, but I wouldn’t own it. Not yet, anyways. He wants me to build a name for myself before he completely signs it over to me.”

“But he wants to sign it over to you? That’s exactly what you dreamed of!”

“He’s very supportive and basically adopted me as his son, but it’s a big step. Plus he wants me back in the shop before Christmas, our busiest time. That means I’d have to find someone to take care of not just the twins, but a newborn as well…” Lane trailed off, sighing softly. He had considered asking his parents for help but the chances that Wynn and Tristan would start exhibiting some sort of powers sooner rather than later made him hesitate.

“I’m sure there are people willing to help out,” Remus smiled. “Frank and Alice Longbottom seem to really like you, and Neville is only a year older than the twins. Or perhaps Lucius would let you borrow his nanny?”

“Lucius could benefit from having Draco play with others,” Lane chuckled. “I had been considering some sort of weekly playdate for all of us. We adults would get to visit with other adults and the kids could gain healthy socialization skills.” Remus nodded at the idea, it was something he would love to do.

“Coming back around to my job offer,” Lane said. “It’s a substantial pay raise and coupled with Severus’ new wages, I’ve been thinking of expanding the flat. To accommodate the new baby, and the help I’m going to need.”

“Oh?”

“I want to ask you to move in with us, Remus,” he smiled somewhat shyly. “I know things are hard for you, being a werewolf and such, and you’re living solely off of Ministry handouts… I’ve been owling with Severus and he thinks my plan is a good one.”

“Me moving in?”

“Well, yes, but also… we would pay you to watch the kids.”

“Pay me?” Remus was taken aback by the idea, finding himself staring at his best friend. Lane winced a little.

“Was that the wrong thing to say?” he asked quickly. “I didn’t mean to offend you!” Remus got to his feet and moved to Lane’s side, gently taking his hand and soothing him. The last thing he wanted to do was get Lane worked up and have his blood pressure spike.

“You didn’t offend me,” he promised. “I was just surprised, that’s all. I didn’t think you worried about me that much.”

“I worry about you all the time,” Lane admitted. “It started after Sirius died and it’s always on my mind, even though you always seem so happy. I know you moved out of the flat Sirius had gotten for the two of you and moved into something smaller, and cheaper. You never told me, but I figured it out.” Remus glanced away.

“Will you consider our offer? You won’t have to pay rent, or contribute groceries. You would just need to watch over the kids while I’m at work, and considering we live above the shop, I would always be close by should you need any help.” Lane squeezed Remus’ hands, drawing his friend’s gaze back to him.

“You’ll be able to save up for a proper place of your own and I’ll be less anxious having my kids with someone I know and someone who knows how to handle children with budding magic.”

“Lane…” Remus sighed. “When do I have to give you an answer?”

“Preferably before I pop,” Lane smiled. “At this rate, I’m scared I’m going to deliver early, so I can’t give you a concrete date. I’m due at the end of November, though.”

“Only you would have kids so close together,” Remus teased, but they both knew it was only because of James that Lane had become pregnant so soon after giving birth the first time. The conversation eased back into something much lighter and soon the two were laughing and enjoying tea.

*****

Spending time with the Longbottom family became almost ritual as Lane, still confined to either his chair or his bed, enacted his plan for weekly play dates. James had agreed easily, happy to bring Harry over to hang out with the other boys, especially since Neville was the same age as his son. It took Lane nearly a month to convince Lucius to begin attending, but when he told the blonde that proper socialization would prevent Draco from becoming a stereotypical stuck up pureblood, the older man had agreed.

With his house packed full, even with the magical expansions Remus had assisted with - Lane wasn’t allowed to use heavy magic as it could put a strain on the unborn children within him - Lane found himself smiling and feeling more content than he had since his miscarriage.

It also helped that seeing Lucius sitting on the floor and rolling a ball back and forth with two year old Draco was more than enough to make his heart swell. When he had first been introduced to Mr. Lucius Malfoy, Lane wondered how in the world Severus had been best friends with the man. He seemed incredibly stuck up and ‘rudely polite,’ not something Lane found attractive. But he had witnessed first hand the incredible turn around Lucius had gone through, first with the birth of his son and then with the divorce of wife, and watching the blonde evolve into a much more likable human being was a wonderful experience.

The group had assembled on Halloween, celebrating the end of the war, remembering their fallen friends, and starting new Halloween traditions for their children. Lane had coached Remus through baking pumpkin spice cookies, wishing he had been able to bake them himself. Soft music played in the background, the kids were occupied with snacks (the cookies had been limited), and the adults laughed and conversed easily.

“Lane?” Remus frowned as he watched his friend lapse into silence, taking note of the somewhat pained expression flickering across his face. James and Lucius paused in their own conversation regarding Quidditch and observed the red head.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Lane muttered, rubbing his hands over his now enormous stomach.

“What?” James stood, memories of the miscarriage suddenly racing through his mind. Lucius and Remus moved to their feet as well, concern on their faces.

“I’m pretty sure I’m in labor,” Lane groaned, wincing a little. “I thought it was false pains but they’ve stuck around for the last few hours, so…” Lane held out a hand towards James, wiggling it a little.

“Help me to my feet, it’s time to waddle my fat ass to St. Mungo’s.” James wanted to protest having Lane on his feet but he knew that he was about to take the same amount of steps that he usually took when using the bathroom or having a shower.

“Are you seriously going to deliver on Halloween, AGAIN?” Remus asked, his eyes widening as James pulled Lane up and steadied him on his feet. The red head rubbed at his lower back, several choice words muttered under his breath.

“Seems that way. Can someone get word to Sev and send him in our direction? One of these bladder bashing brats is his, after all.” James stuck close to Lane’s side as he waddled towards the floo, not even bothering to put on shoes, simply moving into the fireplace wearing only fuzzy black socks.

“Thanks for watching the kids, Remi!” Lane called before vanishing in a flash of green flames, the red head appearing in the St. Mungo’s lobby. The Healer on staff was the one who had treated Lane at the end of June, the man eyeing his former patient.

“I believe you aren’t due for another month, Mr. Evans.”

“Tell that to the three monster sized babies inside me who are demanding to be let out,” Lane snapped back, then sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, apologizing. James appeared moments later and urged Lane to make his way forward.

“Are you going to be our Healer tonight?” he asked the older man, letting Lane squeeze his hand as hard as he liked, remembering when Lily went through this two years earlier.

“I’ll be putting in a call for your original Healer to assist me, seeing as I’m still learning about male pregnancy and you’re having more than one, but yes, I’ll be with you,” the Healer smiled, leading the pair down the hallway and towards the maternity rooms.

“I’m jealous that Remus got to give birth at home,” Lane huffed, pausing as a contraction made his toes curl. James winced but managed to keep quiet, Lane’s grip was impressive.

“Well, the first time you went through this your labor was stress induced,” James forced out, trying to pry his fingers out of Lane’s grasp without the red head realizing it.

“So what, I laughed too hard this time?” Lane snapped, making the Healer chuckle.

“Multiples tend to come early, even in male pregnancies, but we like to let mothers, or carriers, go for as long as their bodies will allow. The closer to term you get, the bigger and stronger your children will be,” he told them.

James was banished from the room just long enough so that Lane could change into a hospital gown, the dark haired man coming to stand at the foot of the bed. It was decided that they would manage Lane’s pains until the second Healer could arrive, the woman currently away from her home and not able to be reached. Halloween was a popular party night, after all.

Lane agreed, mostly because he wanted Severus to be there when the babies were born and Remus was still trying to get word to the Potions Professor.

“Well, if we pass midnight, these kids will at least have a different birthday from their siblings,” James tried to joke, earning only a sleepy glare from his friend. The pain managing potions were certainly doing their jobs and Lane allowed his eyes to slip closed for a few minutes of rest before the big event was to take place.

Severus arrived while Lane was sleeping and stayed quiet, taking a seat beside James and sharing a nod.

When Lane’s Healer finally made her appearance, everything began.

Riven Evans was born at 11:58pm October 31, followed by Kael and Lexx Potter at 12:02am November 1st. The non-identical triplets officially had different birthdays.

When the option to modify the dates so that all three were the same was presented, a heavily sedated Lane shook his head, muttering about how Kael and Lexx weren’t really Riven’s brothers, despite their genetics, and how he wanted them to have different birthdays so people would believe they were just cousins. There would have been more discussion but Lane lapsed back into sleep, leaving James and Severus to tend to the newborns, all three bedding down in the hospital room for the night.

What else would the future bring?

*****

Lucius Malfoy strolled into the Ministry of Magic with his back straight and his shoulders back, but instead of turning left like he usually would when heading to work, the blonde took a right and moved towards a department he had never once visited. He wasn’t sure if the Department of Wizard Registration was the place he needed to be but he had questions and he felt this would be the best place to get answers. He had even made an appointment, arriving precisely on time and smiling as he was ushered into the office of the department head.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Malfoy,” the woman greeted him with a large smile, motioning for him to sit in the provided chair. Lucius sat, returning the smile and resting his hands on his lap.

“I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice, Ms. Meyers,” he said. “Truth be told, I’m not sure if you’re the person I need to speak to, but I wasn’t sure where to start.”

“I’m always happy to help.”

“I was hoping to get information on adoption,” Lucius explained. “I’ve never heard of such a thing here, but perhaps you know something I don’t know?”

“You want to adopt a magical child?” Ms. Meyers asked, leaning forward slightly, the topic interesting her.

“Yes, though bloodline doesn’t matter to me. I’m a single father, though I have hired help who assist me with raising my two year old son, and I’d like to find him a sibling before he gets too much older.”

“We don’t have such a thing in this country, Mr. Malfoy,” the woman told him, though she moved to her feet and approached the bookshelf that resided behind her desk. “But I do have an option for you, provided you have no issues with looking outside the country.” Returning to her seat, Ms. Meyers flipped through the book and found the sought after information, copying it onto a piece of parchment.

“Not at all,” Lucius smiled. “I’m just grateful that you’re able to point me in the right direction.” Accepting the piece of paper with the contact information of a wizarding adoption agency, Lucius stood and shook hands with the woman, thanking her once more before he left the office. As he walked he looked down at the paper in his hand, surprise appearing on his face as he saw where he was going to be heading - Canada.


	13. Chapter 13

To say that Lucius was nervous was an understatement. Several months had passed since he had began his journey into adopting a child from another country and today was the day his new son would arrive. Naturally, Lucius opted to throw a party and invited everyone he could think of, including a family none of his friends had met yet - the Weasley family.

When everyone was assembled in his spacious back yard, minus the children who were running around and having fun, Lucius stood from his place at the head of the table they were sitting around and smiled broadly.

“Friends, I must confess, I have brought you here under false pretenses.” When everyone hushed up and paused in eating the dessert that had been served, he continued, the anticipation inside him building.

“I asked you over here not just to introduce you to the lovely Arthur and Molly Weasley, and their seven beautiful children,” he paused to motion to the pair in question, Arthur grinning and Molly blushing and giving a small wave. Their children had easily integrated into the horde of other children, save for the three oldest who were thoroughly enjoying the pool. It was a luxury they couldn’t pass up and Lucius was happy to let them use it, though he made sure his nanny stuck close, just in case.

“We are happy to be here!” Arthur grinned, lifting his glass of lemonade in thanks.

“Our little group of friends has gone through a lot of changes since graduation,” the blonde continued. “Life and death, happiness and utter tragedy, and from my perspective, freedom from a completely batshit crazy family.” Everyone laughed.

“But enough of me skirting around my true intentions, I am incredibly excited to introduce all of you to the newest member of the Malfoy family. Introducing, my newest son, Angel.” Lucius’ long serving house elf appeared with the sleeping child in his arms, the creature having watched over the child while Lucius mingled with his friends. Every person in attendance were in awe, watching as Lucius carefully lifted the toddler into his arms, making it easier for his friends to see the boy.

“When in the world did you have time to find a new woman and have a baby?” Lane asked, though he was sure the question was in everyone’s mind. Lucius chuckled, shifting Angel in his arms and letting the boy rest his head on his new father’s shoulder.

“I adopted Angel from Canada,” he told them, stroking his hand over Angel’s back. “I’ve been working towards this for a few months now, actually. Not long after Lane gave birth--”

“For the last bloody time,” the red head muttered, making everyone laugh once more and causing Severus to lean over and gently rub his husband’s back.

“James’ desire to give Harry a sibling, or two, and Lane’s insistance that I start bringing Draco to play dates for better socialization made me realize that I wanted another child. I wanted a friend for Draco, before he got too much older.” Lucius glanced across the yard to where Draco was playing with Neville, a smile gracing his lips. The two had become fast friends and were currently play ‘potions’ - Draco mixing and Neville providing ingredients.

“All our babies really are growing up fast,” Remus sighed, thinking about Axel and how he was the last remaining only child in the group. At this point in time there was a wide variety of ages attending the outdoor luncheon:

Bill Weasley - 15

Charlie Weasley - 13

Percy Weasley - 10

Fred and George Weasley - 8

Axel Lupin - 7

Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley, and Draco Malfoy - 5

Ginny Weasley, Wynn and Tristan Evans - 4

Riven Evans, Kael and Lexx Potter - 3

And now Angel Malfoy - 2

“Do you ever think about having another child, Remus?” Arthur smiled kindly. “You’re the only one with just one, correct?”

“Well, no, Frank and Alice only have Neville, but I haven’t really entertained the idea of having another baby,” Remus said. “My lover was killed by Voldemort on the night he fell, along with James’ wife. I haven’t really felt the desire to seek out another partner, or even a surrogate.” Molly jabbed her husband in the ribs and whispered something that made Arthur glance away. No doubt she was lecturing her husband on asking inappropriate questions.

“How old is Angel, Lucius?” Lane quickly asked, drawing attention back to the blonde host of the party and away from the highly uncomfortable Remus. The question made Lucius beam once again, the man taking a seat and gently adjusting his son once more.

“Today is actually his birthday,” he said. “I could have taken custody of him a month ago but I wanted to do it on his birthday so that his first day as a Malfoy would be even more special. After all, today is the day he’s essentially birthed into our family.”

“Sneaky,” James chuckled.

“Clever,” Severus said.

“How does Draco feel about him?” Remus asked. “And where did he come from?”

“Draco has known that he was getting a new brother since I picked Angel’s picture from the list of available children and he’s been incredibly excited. When Angel arrived this morning I thought Draco was going to explode… or that something in the house would explode. Maybe it’s because he’s been around other kids but he didn’t rush him or grab at him like I expected. He understands that Angel is smaller than he is and that it’s going to take time before they can truly play together.”

Almost as though summoned, Draco made his way over to the group, Neville in tow, holding a small bucket full of mud and grass.

“Daddy! I made a potion!” he presented the bucket proudly, making everyone chuckle. “And Neville helped!” Neville was always a quiet boy, holding Draco’s hand and going where ever the little blonde took him.

“Oh! Angel!” The bucket was set oh-so-carefully on the ground and Draco released Neville’s hand as he crept closer to his new brother, silver eyes wide. After observing the sleeping boy for a moment or two, Draco turned towards the table and announced, “This is my little brother, Angel! We’ve been waiting for him for a long, long time. He was made for us in Canada!” And before anyone could say anything, Draco grabbed Neville’s hand once more, leaving the bucket behind as he pulled the other boy back to their play area, announcing plans to make more potions.

“Canada?” Lane snickered, lifting an eyebrow.

“Yes, actually,” Lucius said. “The only wizarding adoption agency our Ministry knew of was one in Canada, so that’s where I went.”

“There are people who handle adoptions of magical children?” Frank looked completely surprised about this fact.

“Indeed. In Canada, their Ministry has a register that updates every time a magical child is born. Angel appeared on the register with two muggle parents listed, though their named were crossed out. They had abandoned Angel at the hospital and wanted nothing to do with him, so the Canadian Ministry stepped in and took the boy into their care. His biological parents had no idea Angel was a wizard, so it wasn’t about him being special,” Lucius explained, gently rocking the boy in question as he fussed gently in his arms. The excitement of meeting his new family had worn Angel out.

“It doesn’t happen often, but when a child born with magic is put up for adoption, their Ministry takes them in and places them in an orphanage, so to speak. Though I presume they are treated a lot better than most children, being raised by witches and wizards. I was given a list of available children in a variety of ages, not that there were really all that many, and when I saw Angel, I knew it was meant to be.”

“Considering he has your hair color,” Lane teased.

“I wanted my new child to be as close in resemblance to Draco as possible, if that was possible, and Angel is absolutely perfect.”

“I have a question,” Arthur asked from the far end of the table, waiting until Lucius motioned for him to continue. “Canada has a list of magical children that updates at the time of birth?”

“Yes,” Lucius nodded. “I was surprised by this as well, seeing as we don’t have full confirmation of our children’s magical status until they receive their Hogwarts letters. But in Canada their names appear on the register and the parents are paid a visit by official Ministry workers within a month of the birth. Muggle parents are informed of their children’s gifts and how to best handle them.”

“But what about the restrictions on Muggle’s knowing about our world?” Alice asked, confusion on her face. “And about witches and wizards marrying Muggles?”

“In Canada they don’t seem to be too worried about it. And when I asked about marriage, they absolutely don’t care at all. A witch or wizard can tell their potential mate about their magic if they want to,” Lucius shrugged. “It’s not hard to obliviate a Muggle if they respond badly, after all.”

All this information clearly had an effect on the table as everyone lapsed into silence. Remus found himself staring across the yard at all the children, once more thinking about the fact that Axel was an only child. While today was not the time to ask, he vowed to have a sit down with Frank and Alice and ask how they felt about raising Neville without siblings. There was no rules that said he HAD to have more than one, right? And with all the friends Axel had around him, including the Weasley twins who had immediately taken a shine to him, Remus felt he would never be lonely. Not really.


	14. Chapter 14

Remus couldn’t help but wonder if he was making a huge mistake as he allowed himself to be pinned against the wall of one of the many bathrooms available at the Quidditch World Cup. Lips moved against his neck, making the shorter male groan as he gripped the man who was pressed against him. They were both panting, Remus’ lips still tingling from the intense make out session that had spawned from a shared look across one of the campsites.

By invitation of Lucius, their huge group of friends had attended the match and sat in one of the plush seating areas, being treated to something Remus never thought he would ever have the chance to attend. Axel had loved it, eyes glued to the Quidditch players, while Remus simply cheered along with everyone else.

Now he was being lifted onto the hips of a man whose name he didn’t even know, feeling their bodies grinding against one another. No words were exchanged, he didn’t even know the other man’s name, and still they couldn’t stop themselves from embarking on this naughty adventure.

The bathroom was filled with their moans and gasping breaths, a quick, silent, spell from the dark red haired man quickly divested Remus of his pants and the brunette let his head fall back as he felt warm hands spreading his backside open. When fingers teased against his tight entrance and then paused, he nodded his head and rolled his hips.

“Please,” he groaned. “Please don’t stop… I want it…” What was left of his brain was impressed that the other man was taking the time to ask permission, though he was sure his erection spoke for itself. Sinful lips moved against his neck once again as Remus felt the preparations spells work their magic - there was no time for manual preparation when shagging in a bathroom.

Surrendering himself to whatever the man wanted, Remus simply held on tightly and moaned his pleasure to the air as he felt himself being penetrated. The pressure of being filled for the first time in so many years made his toes curl and he had flashbacks of losing his virginity, his mind reminding him of how wonderful that had been. Wonderful and awkward, but he had no regrets. And he told himself he would have no regrets about this little encounter, his hips rolling gently as he encouraged his partner to push inside fully.

“You feel so good on my cock,” the man groaned, lifting his head away from where he had been working to leave marks on Remus’ pale skin and watching his face with pale blue eyes. Remus was sure he was making weird faces as his body stretched to take the thick length but he didn’t care, the pleasure that came with being filled far surpassed his embarrassment.

“You’re so fucking tight.” Remus bit back a comment at how he had been celibate so long that he might as well have been a virgin, not wanting to ruin the moment. His legs tightened around strong hips, trying to pull the unnamed male as deep as possible, resulting in a happy groan from his partner. There was no more talking as the red head began thrusting and Remus arched, eyes going wide with surprise as he suddenly felt himself cumming without warning.

His partner paused, glancing at the mess between them before he lifted an eyebrow at Remus, wondering if he was supposed to continue.

“Don’t stop fucking me,” Remus said quickly, pressing himself close and capturing the other man’s lips with his own. The resulting groan made his stomach flutter and he felt the red head start thrusting once again. Later he would be absolutely horrified that he had came so quickly, but right now he was focussed on the cock moving inside him and how it was striking his sweet spot repeatedly.

Their bodies moved together with impressive fluidity and soon they had to break the kiss in order to pant heavily. There was no going slow, no getting to know one another, just Remus being pounding into the bathroom wall by a strange red head with a deliciously thick cock. Every thrust was rough enough to make Remus’ breath catch, moans broken up by the need to breathe.

The smaller male clung to his partner as though he was afraid he was going to fall, but the larger body that was pressed against him had no intention of letting him go. Remus moaned openly, not caring if anyone heard him because the pleasure was turning his brain into mush. Complete and utter mush. Every time he was filled he felt his own cock jump, once more hard and leaking all over their stomachs.

“I’m gonna cum,” the other man grunted, his thrust getting faster and less measured. He nipped at Remus’ neck before gently licking the mark, making the smaller male moan louder.

“Inside me,” Remus gasped, tightening his legs. “Cum inside me. I want it inside me!” This was apparently what the other man wanted to hear as suddenly he was yanking Remus’ hips down against his in an almost brutal pace before he pressed inside as deeply as possible. They cried out together, Remus cumming untouched yet again while he felt the red head spurting inside him, coating his insides with thick seed.

“Fuck yeah,” the man groaned, rolling his hips and milking out his orgasm as long as he could. “Take it, take it all. I’m cumming in your greedy little ass.” Remus had never been privy to dirty talk during sex, it had never really been a thing with Sirius, but hot damn he liked hearing it now, nodding as though he needed to respond.

They clung to one another until the cock inside him began to soften and the red head pulled out, causing Remus to bite his bottom lip and squirm a little. Gentle hands carefully placed him back on his feet, though the man continued to hold his hips when he took note of Remus’ shaky legs. The two were flushed from the intensity of their sex and watched each other, even when Remus’ pants were spelled back onto him.

“You’re bloody brilliant,” Remus blurted before he groaned, hiding his face in his hands. The other man chuckled and pulled Remus’ hands down, looking into his brown eyes for a moment before he captured his lips once again. The sensation sent chills down Remus’ spine and he found himself lifting onto his toes in an effort to keep the kiss going as long as possible.

“I can’t linger,” the red head mumbled, breaking the kiss with a smile.

“My name is Remus Lupin.” Another blurted comment and Remus internally berated himself. This wasn’t a date, this wasn’t something that was ever going to happen again. This was just sex!

“Devin Jackson,” was the response and the red head gently caressed Remus’ cheek. “I’ll owl you.” There was no time to protest, or to ask for more information, or even for Remus to blurt out that he had a child. Devin vanished from the bathroom and left Remus wondering about so many things, though one thing made itself very apparent.

“My goddamn arse is leaking.”

*****

“No way.”

“I’m not lying.”

“You are absolutely fucking with me.”

“Pretty sure Devin Jackson was the one fucking you.”

“That was the name he gave me, yes.”

“That’s the Keeper for the Canadian National Quidditch team.”

“You’re fucking with me.”

“Remus! I swear!” Lane was fairly sure that he was going to break a rib from laughing so hard, leaning on the counter of J. Pippin’s Potions as he tried to catch his breath. Remus had come down to the shop during a quiet period, the younger kids down for their naps and Axel occupied with his toys, finally telling his friend what he had done at the Quidditch World Cup a week earlier. Lane was equal parts scandalized and giddy, happy that Remus had finally had some fun, specifically fun that didn’t include Axel.

Remus rubbed his hands over his face, groaning. How had he failed to realize he was being shagged by someone he spent three hours watching play Quidditch? Then again, Quidditch had never been the same for him since graduating, seeing as James didn’t play outside of Hogwarts.

“Has he owled you?” Lane asked, brushing a few stray strands of hair away from his face before grumbling and tugging the hair tie out of his hair, working to redo the ponytail. A proper Potions Master would never have hair hanging in their face (not that Severus followed those rules).

“Not yet, but, I mean, I don’t know if I really expected him to,” Remus sighed, leaning against the counter. “But I told him my name, so if he does, he does.”

“Well, the World Cup is pretty intense, maybe he’s still recovering? From what I’ve read, after the Cup the team takes a full month off from any sort of heavy training before the season starts back up in October.”

“Maybe he fucked a bunch of people after the up and I’m just a notch on his bed post, so to speak,” Remus said, making Lane frown and reach over the counter to pat his shoulder.

“I don’t think that’s what happened at all, but I’m sure we’ll find out. I’d owl him myself if I thought that my letter would actually make it to him, but sports stars have people who comb through their mail.”

Remus heaved another large sigh before heading back upstairs, knowing he couldn’t leave Axel alone for too long, especially with Lane’s kids due to wake up any time. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do about this whole… shagged a Quidditch player and told told they would connect again later situation, but it could only go one of two ways - Devin Jackson owled him and they got to speak to each other, or Devin Jackson never contacted him at all and Remus simply got over it.

Turns out there was a third option.

Two months after Remus had been so thoroughly shagged by Keeper Devin, he peed in a potions beaker and watched as the pregnancy test turned green.

Remus was pregnant.

“Fuck.”

*****

Severus was highly unimpressed.

Lane was smiling sheepishly.

Remus didn’t think he could possibly be more embarrassed.

And Devin Jackson stood among the three in the middle of the Canadian Ministry of Magic, confused beyond belief.

Lane had left his home, taken an international portkey from the Britsh Ministry of Magic to the Canadian Ministry of Magic, checked in properly, found his way to the Canadian National Quidditch team’s practice grounds, broken in, marched himself onto the field, and demanded to speak to Devin Jackson.

He was promptly arrested by the team’s security detail and, being from out of country, transferred to the Canadian Ministry building. Lane was a model prisoner, sitting quietly and not requiring any sort of body bind as he waited for everything to be sorted out. While the Ministry officials worked to contact Severus, and the British Ministry, Devin sat himself down across from Lane and they had quite the conversation.

When Remus had been informed of the situation he had quickly arranged for Lucius to watch the kids before joining Severus on his trek to Canada to rescue Lane. Imagine his surprise when he came through the international floo and found himself face to face with Devin.

“What in the world were you thinking?” Severus rubbed the bridge of his nose, staring at his husband.

“Mr. Jackson here lied to Remus when he said he would owl him and when Remus found out he was pregnant I knew I had to take steps to rectify the situation,” Lane shrugged. Devin moved to his feet almost as soon as Remus approached, smiling for a moment before he realized the trouble he had caused and the smile was replaced with something less excited.

“You two should go sit outside and have a chat,” Severus directed, motioning to the exit doors. “I need to have words with my husband.”

Devin quietly held his hand out for Remus, feeling his stomach flutter when the smaller male accepted it and together they walked outside. The time difference meant that it was only close to lunch time in their part of Canada and while it wasn’t all that warm, there had yet to be any snow. The two sat on a bench just outside the main doors, watching people stroll past every so often.

“I’m sorry,” Devin said first, somewhat surprised that Remus had continued to hold his hand even after they had sat down. He didn’t expect Remus to respond, and that was okay, he hadn’t followed through on his promise to owl the smaller man.

“I said I would write and I didn’t, and that was wrong of me,” he continued, keeping his eyes facing forward. “I don’t have an excuse for why I did what I did, and I’m not going to try and make one up right now. But I enjoyed what we did at the Cup, quite a bit in fact.”

“It really was great, wasn’t it?” Remus said softly, making Devin turn towards him. They shared a smile and Devin found himself lifting his free hand and gently stroking Remus’ cheek.

“Lane and I had a rather intense conversation about you,” he admitted. “He told me everything.”

“Everything?”

“Yes, everything. About your lover, that you have a child, that you’re pregnant with my child, and… about your illness.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Remus pulled his hand away from Devin and scooted away, breaking eye contact.

“Remus…”

“You don’t have to say it, it’s okay. I don’t blame you. No one wants someone like me, someone sick and without a cure,” Remus said softly.

“You’re carrying my child, Remus,” Devin tried again, reaching out to take the other man’s hands but Remus pulled away even more, making the red head sigh softly.

“I haven’t even decided if I’m keeping it. I got lucky with Axel, he didn’t inherit the curse, but there’s always a chance…”

“Well, that’s your choice,” Devin said, though he would also admit that he didn’t want Remus to terminate the pregnancy. “But if this is about more than just the curse… if this is about you being alone… Well, I really liked what we did and I’d like to get to know you on more than just a sexual level.” Devin let the words sink in, resting his hands on his lap as he turned the right way around and watched pedestrians go by. This wasn’t the way relationships were meant to work, he knew that, but things were different. If he and Remus were to become a couple they would be going about it completely backwards - sex first, then a baby, and then getting to know one another.

“I want to get to know you, Remus,” Devin said after several quiet minutes, once again turning back towards the brunette. “It won’t be easy, considering I’m in a totally different country, but we could try.” This time Remus allowed Devin to take his hands and Devin scooted closer, leaning in to kiss Remus softly.

Yes, they were going to try.

PS: Lane was kicked out of Canada and issued a ten year ban from entering the country.


End file.
